


It's a party!

by CyanideSins



Category: RWBY
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Anal Sex, Anger, Breeding, Canonical Character Death, Cunnilingus, Depression, Drama, F/M, Face-Sitting, First Time, Foursome - F/F/F/M, Loss of Trust, Love, MILFs, Paranoia, Politics, Regret, Revenge, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Roleplay, Teasing, Threesome - F/F/M, Tragedy, Unrequited Love, Vaginal Sex, Writing on the Body
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-02-19 04:07:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 307,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22004929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyanideSins/pseuds/CyanideSins
Summary: Spoilers for V7Episode 8.On the way to the bathroom at the party in the Schnee home, Jaune Arc runs into a drunken woman who entices him to take a little drink. It's all just a party, isn't it? A mother's bitterness, a hint of charm and a heart-to-heart talk between two strangers... well...It's a party, isn't it?
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc/Weiss Schnee/Winter Schnee, Jaune Arc/Willow Schnee, Jaune Arc/Willow Schnee/Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc/Winter Schnee, Jaune Arc/Winter Schnee/Weiss Schnee/Ruby Rose
Comments: 429
Kudos: 779





	1. Chapter 1

**We were promised hot and thirsty moms and Willow Schnee did not disappoint.**

* * *

It was hard to get the stares of the people after that little stunt that they’d pulled. Not only did they not really get into the whole party mood, it was just a little awkward, though Nora deflected a little with her easy cheer, he couldn’t really do that. He wasn’t as socially apt as she was, able to let everything slide off her like water. The drinks went down easily though, as he tried to keep the conversation going. Nora didn’t drink as much as he did, but she was talking to Ren.

So, he strayed a little. Moving through the crowd of the nouveau riche and the ones who moved and shook Atlas with their motions, not even stopping to get another plate of the hors d’eouvres and just getting towards one of the side-rooms.

Fancy people attracted fancy people and he was anything but. Wearing his armour and no weaponry, he struck an odd bird to the people there, and he watched the servants move, the people who served the Schnee family looking just about the type who’d rather have a feather stuck in their ass than to ever admit that they liked to have some fun.

Walking through the halls, even if it was a little awkward, was something that he did on impulse. There’d been a hallway that’d looked relatively untoured and he figured that he could hit up one of the bathrooms, get himself relieved from the sudden buzz in his guts.

He could see the portraits become more old-fashioned in their style, the pale hair and the elegant features of the Schnee family coming to light more, the portraits of the man of the house, Weiss’ father dominating this section of the house.

_‘Now, where would a bathroom be?’_

He really hoped that he could find one, or he’d have to take a leak in one of the potted vases. Not exactly the best impression he’d want to make if he was caught, but if nature called... He wasn’t afraid to do what had to be done. Apologies could always be made.

“Lost, young man?”

A voice came from the side, the smell of something strong and alcoholic in the air, as he caught sight of an older woman, dressed within something that a servant might wear but a touch more opulent, the clothing looking definitely older in style than the clean-cut of the people who worked for the people. The brooch on her neck shimmered with a red glow, as he flushed a little.

A bottle of something strong was at the woman’s lips, her blue eyes looking right at him, a smile faintly on her lips, almost a sway that she adopted. Something in those eyes spoke of apathy, a lack of caring for everything around her, the bags under her eyes definitely unhealthy.

“Well, yes. I was kind of looking for the bathroom, I’ve had a bit too much to drink, you see and-“

Indulgent, tired eyes looked at him, a laugh that came from her lips that was like a whisper and perhaps a half-sob, trickling through the nostrils like a snort yet with something.

“My... Weiss has an interesting choice in friends...”

He smiled at the woman, her loose ponytail fading in colour. She must be... mid-forties? Something like that, he guessed, and he’d heard Weiss tell a story about the butler, Klein. The man seemed to have been fired, but it wasn’t like there weren’t others around to cater to the Schnee family, he guessed.

“She’s great. Eh, I mean, I’m sorry, but can I go to the bathroom first? I really have to go.”

A smile, drunken perhaps, something in those eyes amused and tingling like the faint bells in the distance, a soft exhale, the alcohol volume of that breath probably enough to catch fire. Servants weren’t supposed to get drunk, but he guessed that there was something for the ones who’d served the family for long enough.

“Oh, do allow me to lead you to the bathroom. It’s wise to do your business, lest you cause a mess...”

He swallowed as the older woman turned around, a very finely shaped derriere causing him to gaze a little longer. The woman was in good shape for an older woman, almost a little like the woman who’d kept offering him a casserole and a bit of a private escort home. There were some games that she’d have liked to play with him, but he’d had to decline. The safety of the kids was more important than playing twister with the woman. Who even played TWISTER in this day and age?

She turned around, the bottle in her hand half-emptied now, having been full. A good brand of vodka, he imagined, as she swayed a little. He was there at her side, lightly catching her. The liquor was making her a little more unsteady, her body leaning against his.

 _“Whoops_.”

A giggle, drunken and womanly, came from her. She lingered a little, even as his bladder ached a little.

“Eh, I really need the bathroom.”

Her expression changed a little, firming in its uncertainty, before she shook her head, the long hair brushing against his own. She was smaller in build than him, a small part of him telling him that she sort of reminded him of Weiss, but the thought was probably silly.

“Let’s get you to the bathroom then, young man.”

A woman who switched to that determined nature that he could see in Weiss as well. He didn’t know her older sister well enough, but they’d definitely been around this woman. Perhaps she was a cook, or some older domestic servant? Not that Weiss had said much about her family. He’d met her little brother, who looked like a right little scraggly muffin version of his father. Her father was an asshole and... well, her mother apparently didn’t come out much from her room.

The large bathroom that he was led to looked immaculate, the gold-plated taps looking fancy. She stood in the door opening for a moment, lightly amused, as she turned her head to gaze at him, a motion towards the porcelain throne.

“Do your business, young man. The Schnee family is _not_ as _cold_ towards one’s guests as we appear on the surface.”

Regret in the woman’s voice, something that laid a dark shadow over her expressions, her features looking weathered and worn for a moment, as the bottle rose once more and more of the liquid disappeared down her throat. He could smell it on her breath, the blue eyes looking at him with an expression of hurt and pain.

_‘It mustn’t be nice to live with a set of parents who are so broken as Weiss’ mother and father.’_

She left him to do what he had to, and he relieved himself, aware that the woman was probably already moving along with her duties. That bottle had been half-full and it’d been drained slowly by the woman. That was worrisome, especially if she had to do clean-up work.

The staff probably weren’t supposed to get drunk, or at least, not whilst there was a party to get to. That would just make them rude, but perhaps it was a little like the ‘old butler’ type that came up in the sitcoms that his sisters liked to watch. He washed his hands, letting his mind wander to Weiss for a few moments.

* * *

He exited the bathroom, aware that the fluffy towel was probably crumpled, but he supposed it’d served its purpose. The woman was leaning against the wall, the bottle nearly empty. She looked at him, a lazy smile on her lips.

“So... What’s your name, hm?”

He smiled. The woman was just making conversation, perhaps due to not being needed. She looked a little out of it, her eyes looking a little redder in the corners, tired and worn down.

“Jaune Arc, ma’am. Short, sweet and the ladies are supposed to love it, but I don’t think they do much.”

A humoured sound came from the tired-looking woman’s lips as she grabbed a hold of his arm. She leaned against him, nearly tripping on something barely visible, undoubtedly due to her drunken state. A soft exhale, the alcohol strong in her breath.

“Hmm... my _hero_. So, Mister... Arc? Care to escort an old maid to her room?”

A look in the woman’s eyes showed that she clearly had a little bit too much, his eyes softening a little. If the woman was a part of the staff, he could just get her to another servant, but the place seemed practically empty now. She had said that she was an old maid, so perhaps she was the butler’s wife or something?

“Oh, it’d be rude of me to Weiss to leave someone who cared for her when she was younger alone.”

A hint of a smile, lingering on lips, something warm and inescapable. A deep emotion in her eyes, as she clutched onto him. He could bear her weight easily, she was a slight woman, not at all something that he would imagine to be a maid, but expectations had always been dashed.

“Weiss always was a bright girl. I remember her tenth birthday party well...”

A soft sigh, as the woman straightened a little, her arm wrapping around his, her smaller hand finding his own.

“She was so _happy_ , Mister Arc. After that day, things _changed_. _I_ changed.”

He could imagine Weiss as a happy girl, young and cheerful. She had that quality inside her still, whenever she was around Ruby. He smiled involuntarily and squeezed the hand of the older woman. She seemed surprised, but he knew that it was just to make her feel a little better.

“She’s great. She’s got moments when she smiles and then just lights up the room with that smile. It’s...” A soft expression of care came to his face, as he remembered those moments for an instant.

“I don’t expect you to understand that feeling when she smiles, because you’ve probably known her for a long while since you came to work in this place. You know her better than I do, so... But when she _smiles_.”

A soft, breathy laugh that held some sort of crude amusement. They reached a door, a name plate on the door telling that it belonged to someone named Willow. She pushed open the door and a room appeared, a large bed dominating the middle of the back wall, a single couch set in front of the hearth that contained only sizzling embers, bottles strewn all over the floor, emptied. It hadn’t been cleaned in a while, he guessed. It wasn’t a room which seemed to get much use for other things than drinking, but she walked with him to the couch and sat down, beckoning for him to do so as well.

He sat down, awkwardly. Her eyes pleaded at him, the bottle thrown to the side, landing with a crackling. Despair was visible in those eyes, as she looked at him.

“Is Weiss doing well? I ran into her earlier, I...”

Her voice cracked and she shivered. He felt bad for the woman, laying a hand on her. If he could help her, he would. It was what he could do for people, especially after Pyrrha...

“She’s a Huntress now. She’ll be working now, and her dad is...”

He didn’t want to get her into trouble, taking a deep breath. A delicate touch was better than to just blurt out that the guy was an asshole.

“ _Not_ the best.”

A wry, bitter look on the woman’s face, her eyes looking at him. “I was _there_ when she was _born_ , Mister Arc. When Weiss Schnee breathed her first breath into this world, I was _there_. She was so _small_. So tender and weak, but she was _beautiful._ ”

He smiled at her. The fresh bottle rose and she took a deep gulp of it. Her eyes were almost bloodshot, looking like she wished to cry. “Do you know what hurts, Mister Arc? It hurts so much to be _alone_.” A deep breath, before the bottle was held out to him.

“Have a drink with me, Mister Arc. _Please_...”

She held it out, a little nudge. The alcohol within sloshed softly, a watery, sloshing sound. He shouldn’t drink, but he looked into those deep blue eyes and he couldn’t resist. She looked at him with eyes that asked, pleaded and begged.

“Please?”

It was as much a question as it was plea, a whimper uttered from someone who had much love to give. He took the bottle from her, their fingers touching for an instant. Her breathing quickened for an instant as he took the bottle from her and drank.

“Call me Willow. It’s... It’s _my_ name.”

She sounded hesitant, almost afraid of his reaction. It was a nice, pleasant name. A name that a mother or older aunt would have, someone who would’ve cared for the young daughters of the mistress of the household.

“The name’s Jaune. I’ll have you know that I’m _quite_ the dancer.”

It was forced on him by his sisters, of course, but he sort of liked it. The woman with him deserved a funny tidbit, something to bring a smile to her lips. A smile, worn and with a little bit of that fading beauty, as a dead laugh came from her lips.

“How long is it since I have _danced_ , Jaune? A _decade_ , perhaps? These halls were one filled with _laughter_. The head butler, Mister Sieben, held the reins and there were more maids than members of the auxiliary staff.”

A swaying of her body was witnessed as she grabbed a fresh bottle, turning the cap and then guzzling it down in large gulps, the alcohol draining into her like a maelstrom of depression and uselessness. He saw that it weighed upon her, as he looked at her expression. Pain, yearning and loneliness, something that he saw in Weiss’ eyes as well.

He set the bottle down, but her hand placed itself on it. Her own bottle was half-way emptied now and the smell grew stronger, something in her eyes that was desperate.

“Do... Do drink, Jaune. We’re... It’s a _party_.”

Her eyes were desperate, something in them that he could see being deeply _wrong_. Her hair was still up in a ponytail and her chest heaved softly, her breasts below her jacket and the cravat looking to be full and in fine shape. The belt might be pushing them up a little, but that hardly mattered for the image she gave.

He swallowed some more of the strong alcohol, feeling a slight buzz go through him. “I’ll... woah.” He hadn’t had much experience with drinking except for a few beers on a dare, but he felt the heavy alcohol hit him like a truck. His vision swam for a moment, as his eyes looked around. The bottles were too much, but...

_‘I should clean it up. A clean room is a clean life...’_

He looked at her and then smiled. “I’ll just make things a little neater, Willow.” A softness in her expression, something that didn’t quite get what he was referring to. He got up and started to pick the bottles up. She just watched, sipping the bottle slowly, her eyes watching with a distant look in them as he worked. He got the armour plate off, setting it near the door. He would be working up a sweat with how this was going to go and it’d be bad to bend over and twist the armour into a tight spot.

“Why did you clean up my room, Jaune? There’s staff for that...”

He looked at her and felt his heart go out to her. He looked at the bottle that he’d been drinking from. The alcohol made him feel warm, and he held out a hand.

“Do you want to dance with this young man, Willow?”

It was perhaps not according to protocol, but he could feel that the woman _needed_ something to banish the gloominess from her, and her eyes went wide, looking at him.

“It’s okay if you can’t dance, I mean, my best friend Ruby hates her lady stilts and can’t dance. Still the best friend that I’ve had.”

Uncertainty on her face showed, a complicated expression that flitted. It was funny, because he could almost see Weiss making the same face when Ruby was starting to talk about the weapons and stuff that Weiss had little interest in, a decision that had to be reached but with her being uncertain whether she should say something or not.

“You’d dance? With _me_?”

He looked at her with a look that just didn’t comprehend why she _shouldn’t_ dance with him. He didn’t get why this would be something odd. She was just an older woman, just someone like his mom or his older sisters. Dancing whilst at a party wasn’t strange, was it?

“It’s a _party_ , Willow, you said so yourself. We dance at parties, unless Atlas does things different from Vale.”

A smile, perhaps sadder than before, as she smiled softly at him, her eyes shimmering for a moment, closing and then, her hand took his. Her fingers were a little cold, but she implored him with a look.

“Then _dance_ with me, Jac- Jaune.”

A small slip, perhaps a minor one, but it was still something he noticed. A softness of her features, as something in those eyes changed, her fingers seizing a hold of his own, her hand on his upper arm, seizing a hold. Atlesian formal, typical ballroom dance style.

“Do you have music in your room?”

She pointed towards a small device standing in the corner. He could see that it hadn’t been used for a while, a thick layer of dust on it. He let go of her hand and walked over, her body standing there. He could see several disks with Weiss Schnee in Concert, and ‘Loneliest of them all’, a single by W. Schnee, laid next to it. It was merchandise, and she’d collected it.

_‘Sweet.’_

They were clean, compared to the dust on the player. He pressed a button and looked through the music that had been programmed into the player. He caught the heavy smell of a woman’s perfume mixing with the strong liquor.

“Daddy’s Favourite, that one is the Atlesian Waltz. My...”

A deep sigh, as she leaned against him. It was a heavy moment for the woman, as she rubbed over his back, her weight suddenly heavily leaning against her.

“My father used to love playing it on the piano for me. He said that it had been my mother’s favourite but... My darlings never quite enjoyed it.”

He heard the announcement of the waltz and what number it was. He turned, looking at her. Vulnerable did she look, standing there. Her eyes looked pitifully up at him. “But I don’t know what to think anymore of the world. Weiss is nineteen now and-“ He took her hand and put it on his side, forming the starting position.

She accepted it, and the music started. She moved with the beat, allowing him to lead. Something about her was melancholic, broody and deep, her eyes looking deeply into his own as they moved, the space for them smaller than a ballroom, but she kept pace perfectly.

As the music turned to low tones and the track ended, she looked at him. “I’m a _failure_. I-“ She slumped down onto the couch, her hands grabbing her head, a dark look in her eyes as she looked down at the carpet. He could feel like that too, grabbing the bottle and taking a deep swig of it, the sound audible and the woman looking up. A look of regret, of pity and something more crossed her features.

“You don’t have to dri-“

He looked at her, laying a hand on her shoulder. The woman’s eyes seemed to gaze at him. “I know how that feels. I couldn’t... I _couldn’t_ save her. I lost a _friend_ , my _partner_ at Beacon. A great, wonderful girl who was in love with me, and-“

_‘and I didn’t even notice! She kissed me and then she **died**.’_

He drank more from the bottle, trying to drown the pain inside him. He didn’t show it outwardly much, a bad case of handling it, any psychologist would tell him. It wasn’t healthy to bottle it all up, but- But he _had_ to. Ever since he saw the statue, he’d...

He could never let the smile fade from his lips, to try to lighten the mood. If he didn’t, if he _let_ himself _go_...

“I nearly lost Weiss too, you know. She was just... The woman who was responsible for Beacon, someone who- She threw a spear at Weiss and it hit her in the stomach, going straight through.”

A gasp, a worried sound from her lips, but he wasn’t stopping. Another swig from the bottle and he was done, the bottle set aside. The alcohol didn’t taste so bad at this moment, as he felt the dark thoughts push to the forefront.

“I awoke my Semblance at that moment. It’s to make someone’s Aura stronger by amplifying it. So I just... I just _did_. Me, the guy who asked her out and got rejected time and time again, saving her life. Just dorky stupid Jaune Arc, being responsible for her _life_. I was so frightened for her, so afraid to lose her.”

A softness in her eyes, as he could feel a hand rest on his shoulder after he’d turned from her in the dark mood he was feeling, stroking over his shoulder softly. A hurt woman, next to a hurt young man. She exhaled softly.

“I’ve got... I’ve got some _stronger_ stuff too. If... if you _want_.”

It felt like a good idea. She walked to a small cabinet and she unlocked it, a bottle of something that looked like Schwanentanz black label, the bottle held out to him to take and get a sip from, like some common drunkard.

“A glass isn’t needed, I’m...”

The woman, Willow, looked fragile. She just put the bottle in his lap, his hand grabbing a hold of it before it would tip, another bottle grabbed.

“Tell me _more_ about my- Tell me more about _Weiss_. Is she... Did she?”

He opened the bottle, the rich smell of something that cost more Lien than a month’s wages for him, a smell that was like black liquorice with that spiced rum scent. Whatever it was, he didn’t know, but he drank it. Vileness and heaviness felt into his stomach like the stab to the gut that Weiss might have.

“She started to be ready to fight again after a moment. I’ve got a lot of Aura. I filled her right up.”

A bitter, hurt laugh, as the woman downed a quarter of the bottle, her throat swallowing a few times, breathing out. Eyes that had seen much looked fiery, something that Weiss also had when she was full of passion. Her sister too, now that he thought of it.

“She’d _better_ have given you a chance for her hand, Mister Arc. A _Schnee_ is not ungrateful to her saviour, or else-“

She looked bitter, cool and without much in the way of grace, her eyes looking at him. He winced. The movie had been an escape from the politics, a moment where they could just enjoy it... But it hadn’t been really much. Oscar’s age was fourteen and it was not enough to get them into anything with _real_ action. Weiss had been polite, but she’d not been...

“We went to a movie, _earlier_ yesterday. We had a... well, he's a friend, with us.”

A softness to his face, as he remembered the little smile that she’d given him. It had been progress, it’d been nice but...

“That’s _it_? A movie? A stupid, _crappy_ little movie _date_ that every pauper could go to? Not even dinner together, something in an up-scale place, out of gratitude?”

There was surprise in her voice, something that she’d not stopped with that exclamation, her eyes looking angrily at him. Not anger for his words, but about Weiss.

“Is that _all_ your rescuing her from death is worth to her?”

It was okay. He could understand that she wasn’t interested. It had been something he’d done to save her, something that he’d just done because she mattered to him, even if he didn’t matter to her.

“It’s-“

He didn’t finish the thought. It wasn’t _fine_. It wasn’t _okay_. He’d... He’d expected a little more, perhaps a kiss. A ‘thank you’ at the very least. Not...

“Jaune, let’s _drink_. I’ve... Let me tell you a little story about Weiss when she was young.”

Her lips formed a smile. For whatever it was worth, the woman’s voice was warm and motherly as she spoke, speaking of the time when she and the butler, Mister Sieben, as she continued to call him, went out for an outing to Mantle. The city had been in a better state back then, Mister Schnee having been in the office, working to improve the company.

_‘There’s no love lost between the two of them, it feels...’_

“... then she grabbed it and went ‘Look! I got a frog. Let's show father whether it looks like him!’ We laughed so much, and she brought it home to her father. He tried to show interest, but he never really _cared_.”

A sad expression came to the woman’s face. The bottle had emptied already and he felt woozy. He glanced at the clock, his vision swimming. He’d drank too much, he’d had too much and it was already... was it _that_ late already?

“I should-“

Her hand grabbed a hold of his, her grip surprisingly strong. “No. They’ll...” She looked tired, swaying a little. “They’ll see you come out of my room. It’s not- It’s not polite.” Her voice was soft, light and breathy. Her eyes looked at him and her eyes watered.

“ _Stay_... _Stay_ here, with _me_? Just for... Just for a bit. I’ve got more stories to tell, I’m...”

She looked sad, as her eyes met his. “Please, _stay_?” He couldn’t deny her, not when she looked at him like this. The party was undoubtedly still ongoing, still a shade too much, half-burdening him with that feeling of regret.

“But-“

Her eyes grew teary and she pressed her head against his chest. She looked weak, frail and brittle, like a porcelain doll that was about to shatter with the lightest touch.

“Oh, okay...”

A soft smile on her lips as she got up. Her breasts moved, and it was fairly obvious that whatever went for chest support was forgotten, bending over in front of the cabinet, pushing that very fine behind out.

His body reacted to it, his pants feeling a little tighter, her body moving with a willowy grace. A bottle that looked very pricy with the golden wrapping around it was fetched, something that just looked like it’d bleed Lien if stabbed, a rich dark liquid in it. Atlas Rouge Rock.

“A _very_ good year, Jaune. Every bottle costs... Two-fifty? Only six-hundred were bottled, so they are a little...”

A smile, cool and something else, a wry and angry expression flitting over her features.

“ _expensive_.”

A glass was handed to him, filled with the strong drink. He could see the weariness in her eyes, the desperation for him not to leave her. He raised the glass and watched as she raised her glass. The older woman looked at him, a softness in her eyes, a deep craving, a yearning for something that almost scared him out of his wits. She drank from her glass slowly, looking at him with the longest of moments of hesitation in her eyes.

“Mister Ar- No, _Jaune_.”

The pale-haired woman’s hand brushed through her hair, pulling the loose ponytail into a long wave of hair. It made her look womanly, her expression shifting slowly to one that was intrigued.

“Would you _care_ to escort me a little more, perhaps?”

A softness of her lips he noticed, as the tongue slid over the edge of the glass, more of the liquor added to the glass. He noticed that she was going to fill his glass again, the feeling of something hitting his lap as she spilled some of the alcohol, her pouring not as steady, a soft giggle coming from her.

“ _Whoops_.”

He felt it soak into the fabric, the strong smell enough to make him worry, but he was...

_‘What do I care? It’s just some alcohol, and she missed the glass...’_

He drank his glass, leaning forward. It felt awkward, but the woman watched, her hand dropping the bottle a little, taking a big gulp of the alcohol and swallowing once to get it all down. A boldness in those eyes, something that was like a lit flame, something that showed as her gaze went around the bedroom.

“Come... Here...”

Another gulp of alcohol and her cheeks swelled up like a chipmunk, her head coming closer. He was too slow to react, as her lips pressed against his own in a kiss, parting and tasting the rich liquor. A soft, moaning groan from her, her eyes looking into his own. It was a kiss that he’d had before, something that he’d felt before. Red hair and green eyes, a locker that was flying away. He felt the pain inside him and he kissed _back_.

Her arms wrapped around him, the bottle just dropping, hunger inside the older woman’s movements, as her arms wrapped around him, a snorting, heavy breathing, as she seemed to wish to devour him with her lips, a kiss that had him holding her. It wasn’t him there, but he was in the locker, flying away from the girl who loved him, never to see her again but in the dreams and nightmares, the video replaying over and over.

He didn’t know what she felt, but there was no small hunger within her, her tongue tasting of the liquor, her eyes aflame with something. He parted, breathing and panting, her own breath coming out heavily. She shivered, a slow groan coming from her lips.

“Jaune, Mister Arc, I-“

She breathed in and out. Her lips pressed against his neck and she kissed. The smell of alcohol and something indistinct came to his nose as she suckled on his neck, tasting him, a kiss that lingered for nearly a minute, a softness of her body before she pulled away slowly. He noticed that her nipples were poking through the fabric, her eyes meeting his own after a moment, her breathing much louder than before.

“Let’s find a... better place, shall we?”

Jaune didn’t know what that meant. He didn’t know what she wanted, but that kiss had been _something_. It had been frightening, it had been scary, but it had been _passion_ and _fright_. She gazed at him, getting up. She looked hesitant, frightened. Something in those eyes had changed, something that was so yearning and human.

“If... _If_...”

She was offering something. Solace, comfort. A look that he’d never seen before, but...

“Willow, I-“

Depression, a dejected expression, her life fading. She was feeling rejected, just like he had been. It was something that he had seen with himself as well. The moment where he’d seen Weiss with Neptune, her smile and her joy, knowing that he’d been not what she wanted.

“No, you’re...”

She tried to say it, but he shook his head. He kissed her again, the only thing that he could do. She tasted of liquor, of the regret that she felt and he pushed his Aura into her, letting her feel the warmth. It was what she would need, he felt instinctively.

A softness in her eyes. “Why did you _have_ to do that, you silly boy? _Why_? It’s... It’s so _warm_.” Her voice was pained, her eyes looking at him with that hint of confusion and mystery. Her breathing was irregular, her eyes looking terrified, somehow pained and yet relieved.

“Because I don’t want you to think that...”

He didn’t know what he didn’t want her to think, as he looked at her. This was obviously someone who loved Weiss. Every expression that the woman gave, the sheer joy that she had in telling about some of the things Weiss had done when she was a child, which had brought the woman a shred of happiness.

“It’s-“

He was drunk. He knew that he’d drank more than enough to push him towards sleep, but he stood up straight. He was drunk and there was someone who had kissed him, who needed him. He’d not give up on someone in need, because an Arc was someone who had the blood of heroes in their veins.

He _kissed_ her. Her eyes went wide as a womanly moan came from her lips. She surrendered, her arms wrapping around him, holding him. Gasping, breathy sounds, low swirls with her tongue, her fingers running through his short hair.

She was the one who broke the kiss, a look in her eyes.

“We _will_ have to change venues, Jaune. This is not a room where someone should be in...”

She took him by the hand, leading him to the door. Pushing it open softly, she peered out, supporting herself with the doorframe, letting her gaze go through the hallway. He heard nothing with his enhanced hearing, the woman pulling him along further down the hallway. His companion, this hot older woman who seemed to know her way around the house well, moved with a certain grace, her body in shape, even with her touch on his hand firm.

He missed the names on the other doors, Willow Schnee’s door shutting behind him, passing by Whitley, Weiss and Winter’s room. He was distracted by the woman, this maidservant who seemed to be so hurt and in need of comfort. Was it wrong? Probably. Would she get in trouble? Probably. Did he care? No.

* * *

The world was emptier now with Pyrrha gone. He could feel the yearning from this woman, this loving, caring woman who loved Weiss so much that she could remember those stories about the youth of the girl. They stopped in front of a door, the woman closing her eyes for a moment and looking up at an angle, giving a faint smile before she pushed open the door.

“Is someone in here?”

She called out and he watched as the door opened by her hand, her fingers grabbing the door and holding it open, letting him feel that tension rise, as she turned around, her eyes looking at him with a look that desired him.

It was... _different_. He had seen the look in the eyes of Nora more often than not, whenever she looked at Ren. The woman strode with strides to the desk and then brushed over it, the sound of things hitting the ground noticeable. A bottle of the same vodka had been put in the corner, the smell of the vodka heavy in the air as the woman’s body bent over the desk, her head turning to look at him, a hand raised, a finger beckoning him.

He swallowed heavily, as he looked at her. She was there, and her rear was pointing up, those buttocks looking round, her gaze intensifying, as her tongue laid a slow path of slick saliva over her lips.

“Mister Arc...”

A push of that rear, as her eyes looked at him, heavily-lidded, her lips parting to show teeth. “Allow me to show you some Schnee repayment for saving the life of Weiss Schnee.”

He was not the aptest at getting the hints at times. He’d missed Pyrrha’s hints for nearly a year, but there was no denying this. She looked at him, a stern look that wouldn’t look out of place on Weiss her face, her eyes looking at him.

He swallowed, heavily. Her behind swayed a little, as she stretched. Her hands slid down and the faint sound of something ripping was heard, as the jeans tore and he could see a womanly set of thighs exposed.

“Come on, _Jaune_. Take what you _want_.”

A soft curling hint of self-loathing sprinkled through that angry, bitter voice. Her eyes looked at him with something inside them that hurt to see, something deep and vile and bitter, as he could see her lips below stand there like a testament, pushed outward and puffy.

“No.”

He knew that it wasn’t good for her, and he was not going to make her feel like he was taking advantage of her. She was drunk, he was drunk, and he was not going to stop. He approached, her eyes looking at him with a look that held equal parts fierceness and fury. She was about to say something, but his hand smacked that ass, letting her buttocks jiggle and a yelp come from her lips.

“I’m not- I’ve _never_ done this, but not... _Not_ like this.”

He could smell the scent of alcohol, something that was there, a yearning, a passion, a craving. This was a woman who hurt, someone who had rolled in the shards of her life and who had become hollowed out like a doll.

He knelt there, his face pressing against her behind. She stiffened, not making a sound, before a soft sob came from her mouth. The woman, Willow, was starting to cry out, softly sobbing, as he pressed his lips against the vaginal lips between her legs, the sensation of touching something so womanly sending a spark through his body.

_‘She needs to be happier.’_

A low, throaty moan came from the woman’s lips, something that sounded surprised, mixing with a gasp that was like an utterance of fear, something that shouldn’t be. He remembered the impromptu lesson that Saphron had given on the ‘Art of eating Girl and keeping your skin’ the moment when she’d come out as a lesbian. It’d included pictures, a few videos and a _very_ embarrassed Terra who had walked in mid-way to see Saphron gesticulating and going on at length about spots.

Putting it to practice and making sure to keep an eye on the gasps, his nose buried against that ass, letting her get used to the touch, a shiver going through his partner, the woman’s legs spreading some more. Another flick of the tongue and the woman shivered, squeezing the desk, feeling that pleasure shoot through her, or so he guessed. She smelled like a woman, or at least what he thought a woman smelled like. A little like Weiss, actually. She must just have the same shampoo or something.

“Ah, _oh._ ”

Moans, eager and with a hint of something more, as his hands grabbed her hips and then kept her there, his tongue exploring. A soft, sensual shudder, as her fingers grabbed his head.

“Ah... Stop. _Stop_ , dear.”

The term slipped from her lips and it didn’t feel bad to hear it, her hand pulling him away. She looked at him, a look that held a heat and a flame of desire, a soft guttural sound coming from her lips. He was aware of how aroused he was, of what she was offering, craving, wishing for.

“My... I was- Perhaps I was just a touch hasty. You’ve got-“

A smile, one that looked genuine and more maternal than anything that he’d seen before came to her lips, her eyes beholding him with that hint of interest, something in the eyes of the woman having changed. She shifted, the slit between her legs covered in a faint pale white fuzz. It was a woman who had been aware of what she had, her motions with flexibility that he’d expect from a Huntress, not a civilian woman.

“Here, allow me to-“

Her hands went to his pants, undoing them slowly, her eyes looking at him and smiling faintly as she looked at his groin, where the underwear looked like it was getting a little firmer.

“It’s been a decade since I have last seen a _man’s_ penis.”

That was a long time. His father had joked about his wife needing some love once every month or so to keep the Arc family happy and sane. His mother had smacked his father for that comment, but it had elicited no further commentary from anyone.

“Let’s see what you h- _Oh._ ”

She pulled the underwear down and he was reminded of the liquor that she’d spilled on his groin, the smell mingling in his nostrils, her tongue sliding over her lips. Eyes that looked more energetic as she’d behold what he had. A hand, small and delicate compared to what stood between his legs, seized it. A tension, as she slowly squeezed.

She inhaled deeply, her eyes closing and then slid down, her knees hitting the ground.

Warmth was the first sensation that he felt as velvet-like lips wrapped around the head, a swallow from the woman, saliva bathing his shaft as a tongue slid over his crown, the foreskin already pulled back with a single jerk. She tasted him, even as she let her tongue caress the sensitive head. A gasp, groan and more came from his lips, but she wasn’t down yet, her eyes burning with something of a hunger, as she got up.

“A _treat_ for a _treat_ , Jaune... _Now...”_

Her body bent over the desk, her legs parting, spread slightly, her head looking back at him. It was a motion of someone who could bend her body like such, a ballerina’s body, an athlete’s body that had once been in shape, but now had gone to lay unused. She spread her pussy lips, her head turned back.

“Have _sex_ with me. Right _here. Now_.”

He was eager to respond, as she seemed to be better, more positive. Not that it mattered, as his body’s hormones assured him. Older women were still hot, and this woman was like the fine wine that she drank. His cockhead pressed against her pussy lips, a guttural, shrill groan coming from her, her hand smacking against his buttocks. It was a clenching, tight sensation.

“Push, _Jaune_.”

A command, a demand, something spoken with that urge, that need within it. Something to abandon the senses to, to make the world make sense and burn through the barriers that kept him contained, his body moving. A womanly shriek came from her lips as she seemed to stretch, her fingers gripping the desk, a low moan turning high-pitched as he felt something press against the head.

“Not so f-ash... Ah...”

She tightened, as she looked back at him. There was a heated look on her face, his eyes going down. He wasn’t fully inside her yet, but it felt good. She looked at him.

“ _Do_ it. Put it in me, you blonde son of a bitch.”

The cussword wasn’t the worst he’d heard, but it spurred him on to push into her. Something parted and she gave a shriek like she was dying, her eyes opening wide and just twitching. Juices dripped onto the ground as she leaked, some tensing and twitching of her vaginal muscles.

It felt great, as he started to move faster. Her hands gripped the desk firmly, as she started to moan, her body rocking slightly as he moved, the slurping, slopping sounds that came like an echo of the feelings that she caused within him. A low, guttural sound in his throat and he came, quicker than he’d hoped, but it was his first time, her body giving a shudder, her eyes widening, as the puddle of her juices below the desk widened. She was panting, gasping and still moaning slightly as she pushed herself up, pulling herself off his manhood.

He smacked against his thighs, coated in white, the cloying scent growing stronger of his own ejaculate, her eyes looking at him. He felt uncertainty, her eyes just staring, a slack-jawed expression on her face. She seemed uncertain on how to go about this.

“I’m sorry, I’m-“

She shook her head, looking into his eyes, a thick glob of seed drooling from her sex, staining her pants, her body pushed up with tension in her arms. She looked at him, a wavering smile on her lips. It was as if she couldn’t believe that she’d done this, as if it was all a dream.

“I’ve had... I’ve had _sex_. It’s been so _long_.”

She sounded more surprised than he felt, as her hand took a hold of his member. She looked at it, as if it were some sort of creature that she didn’t recognize. He laid a hand on her shoulder and then suddenly, she captured her lips with her own, a kiss that seemed to have passion behind it, her fingers gripping his manhood and starting to stroke it. There were strands of semen that dripped onto the floor, mixing with her juices.

She broke the kiss, her eyes looking into his own. He tried to flex his Aura for a moment, feeling himself be rejuvenated. The older woman named Willow gasped, her fingers feeling his manhood be hard below their grasp.

“Get that shirt off, Mister Arc.”

The brooch was off and the jacket and shirt joined it on the floor, leaving him almost weak-kneed at the sight of those breasts, round and full, capped with a nipple that was richly pink in colour. The puffiness of the skin around the nipple pushed it up and he looked into her eyes, the yearning in them there.

“We’re _drunk_ , we shouldn’t...”

He tried to make an excuse, but it wasn’t enough. He had fucked her. She’d encouraged him and he’d eaten her out.

“We’re _way_ past _drunk_. The man who owns this office would scarcely care, but-“

A look in her eyes changed into something dangerous, something needy, something _womanly_ as she pushed her chest out at him.

“Put your _hands_ on me, Jaune. _Touch_ me, in ways that that man has not touched me for a _decade_.”

His hands grabbed a hold of those heavy mounds, the woman’s half-hidden face lingering behind the hair that fell into her face, as she pushed him down onto the desk. She looked at him, pressing him down.

“That’s a _good_ man, Jaune. Squeeze.”

A soft squeeze, pliant flesh pushing against his hands. Her head rolled back in her neck, a low moan coming from her mouth. He was aware that she was getting closer, and she pressed him down, her pale hands pressing against his own body with surprising strength. He felt as if hands were holding him down, a faint shimmer in the surroundings, but he felt warmth wrap around him, a slimy, slick feeling.

Her mouth opened and a deep gasping groan came from her as she pushed herself down again, meeting with her body once more that hard shaft. She moved with a slow yet gentle push, his eyes roving around the office, spotting the paintings on the wall.

A man who could not be someone else than Weiss’ father, still dark of hair, still someone who did not hold his family in his eyes, no pictures of his son or daughters visible. The man’s office, it seemed to be.

This was the place where the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company made business and he was fucking one of the maids on the desk. One way he had to admire her for being so bold as to fuck on her employer’s desk, as well as feeling the ache of her tightness around his manhood.

She was bouncing, slowly bouncing with little raises of her hips, her legs making her pump down, feeling that hot wet sheath wrap around his manhood, guttural groans coming from her lips as if she were some animal in heat, seeking to scratch the itch within her. There was only the buzz in his system, his Aura slowly cleaning him up, the poison pushing out of his body, probably because there was so much of it.

He came again, a hot wet sheath wrapping around his manhood like a tight grasping maw, the woman stiffening, something indecent and crude slipping from her lips. A throb and a splatter of his juices, his fingers mauling those full round breasts that he’d been groping. Another searing hot kiss, as he could feel the white goo shoot from the tip of his manhood inside her, a shuddering, hissing hot moment where he was almost assured that he’d reached the pinnacle.

She got up, looking at him, the emptiness in her eyes slowly fading towards satiety, something that seemed to shift. “You must think of me as a horrible person, doing something like this, _drunk_.” Her voice was lighter, her eyes looking down at him with that doubt.

He didn’t think she was all that bad. He looked up at her.

“You’re someone who _needed_ the company. I’m _glad_ my first time was with you.”

It was still new to him, losing his virginity. He had... he had intended to save this for someone special but- Her expression looked haunted, saddened by something, some realisation that he didn't get. Her eyes turned sad, as she spoke softly.

“ _Oh._ Your virginity... I had thought with that-“

She seemed to grow morose again, pulling off him, the heady scent of his seed and his manhood coming from his nethers, the part where they had been joined slick. She looked at him, embarrassment and shame in her eyes.

“You were probably saving it for someone special, I’m-“

She shook his head. Pyrrha had been special, but this woman had _needed_ it. Even if she was just a servant, he’d just remember her, that look that she’d sent at him. She loved one of his friends as if she were her own daughter.

“Someone who loves Weiss as you do, is someone worthy to give it to.”

A tired, weary smile on her lips as she looked at him. Her gaze went to the portrait, a bitter look on her face. It was not pleasant in the slightest, but she moved, her fingers brushing over her cheek. He could see tears on her face and felt bad. He’d made her cry.

“If she doesn’t see what she’s missing within you, she’s _blind_.”

It was an honest statement from the woman, a hand pulling out a half-empty bottle of vodka.

“Cheers.”

The woman drank again and handed him the bottle. He drank without reservation, her eyes approving of him, before she got herself laid on the right side of the desk on her back, her legs spread. “Now that we’ve got more of an excuse for this debauchery in us...” He watched as her hands went to her buttocks and she spread her butt cheeks, letting him look at that hole as it stood there, a tender hole, a tight hole, he'd heard.

“Just... Fuck my ass.”

The crude language was enough to make his manhood quiver, rising to the challenge. It would have betrayed him nevertheless, because this woman had something about her rear that was hard to deny. His cockhead pressed against her tight sphincter, the woman’s eyes opening wide as she shivered, her legs parting slightly.

“Go slowly... Yes, that’s it.”

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him close. She smelled of liquor and sex, the feeling of her tight nethers enough to make him feel the need, as he pushed in. It was a slow process, as she was tighter than tight, a groaning sound from his lips at the feeling of that tight pucker stretching around his cockhead. It was weird, it was the wrong hole but she had told him to fuck it.

“That’s it, Jaune. Come, take that final virginity that I had left. The Schnee always pay their debts...”

A soft groan as he suddenly inched forward, sliding into her, a soft shriek coming from her lips, turning to a deep guttural moaning groan. She felt tight, and she shivered. He looked down, her pussy lips drooling with the slimy residue of his previous orgasms. It might just be the fact that he was trained as a Huntsman or just the natural stamina of the Arc family but it didn’t hurt, other than being extremely tight. There was a look of curiosity on her face, something that burned in those eyes that was more than loathing and pain and frustration. Something that he had seen before, the bitterness, the _need._

He started to move, her asshole tightly pressing against his manhood, feeling how tightly it clutched at him. She shrieked and whimpered as he slowly tugged out, before pushing right into her again. An indecent sound came from her, but she worried not. Nails pressed against his back as she seemed to go wild with her motions, hissing and groaning, her body writhing against the desk.

“Fuck my ass, Jaune! Fuck it! Show me what I’ve been missing for all those twenty-three years! Come on! Are you a miner or just some lily-livered bitch for hire?”

Her voice turned husky, growling and whispering things that no lady of standing would ever utter. He knew that Weiss and Winter would never ever utter such a thing, both too lady-like to even think of asking for someone to fuck their ass... if at all.

“Hmmhmm... Yeah, come on...”

A mess was on the desk, as he got into a rhythm. Pain flared on his back as she raked her nails down over his back. He thought he could feel them pierce the skin, but this was a civilian, so undoubtedly it was just something that was his imagination.

“Fuck me, _fuck_ _me!_ ”

It was despair in the woman’s voice, as he swung his hips, the anvil of her behind hammered by the hammer that was his body, driving his manhood into her rear, the feeling of that tight, squeezing rump and then, the feeling of sparks behind his eyes as he came inside her ass.

A slow and shuddering heavy explosion of white-hot jizz that shot into her bowels, his stiff prick hard inside her, a slow rut that made her shriek something that he didn’t quite get, a ‘Jack’ and a ‘Fuck you’, something else that he blanked out on, just collapsing on top of her as the thick gushing geyser of man-seed met that tightness of her rear and tried its best to flood it with seed. The corner of the desk below the two of them creaked dangerously.

She laid there for the longest of moments, her breasts like pillows to support his head. She was smaller than he was, yet she was a woman that he had made love to, that he had fucked. She had given him her anal virginity and it’d been a lot of firsts... all for him.

He hadn’t expected that she would go this far, but the concern he had for her was real, even as the desk creaked. She smiled softly, as her breath still came in deep gasps, her breasts supporting his head, his balls grinding against that tight butt once more. 

She was breathing heavily, the softness of those breasts still comforting him. He could feel a tension in his ballsack now, aware that ass was clenching down hard onto him. He pulled out, getting up and then seeing half of the desk collapse as she tried to get up, the woman giving a low ‘oof’ sound as she collapsed with the desk, the wood looking like it didn’t nick or harm her.

“Are you okay?”

He asked with worry, a light giggle coming from her lips as she looked up at him. Her bare breasts were sweaty, her hand grabbing a hold of his own as he helped her up. The woman leaked, not even giving a damn about how she appeared.

“We broke his desk by fucking, Jaune. Fuck. Oww...”

She winced a little, her hand going down below to her buttocks, a slimy gooey load slowly leaking from that once-virginal hole.

“That was... _Nice_.”

He grabbed his shirt and started to get dressed. He’d glanced at the time a moment before and noticed that the party was supposed to be ending in about 40 minutes. Given that it likely wouldn’t be so very easy for him to sneak back, he hoped that he could get back with the excuse that he’d been at the bathroom for a really long time.

Willow, the nice woman that she was, tidied herself up a little, the pants jerked up and tidied. The brooch put back in the proper spot as the cravat was pushed properly. She did not opt to change much about her attire, the shirt or whatever it was pulled back on again, the belt still supporting her waist. She smiled at him, patting his cheek affectionately.

“You...”

A soft sigh exploded from her lips as she looked at him, a tired expression on her features as she seemed to look at him. Her expression turned darker, as she looked down, her thighs still damp. The smell of sex clung to her body, as she smiled, a more genuine smile than before. Something seemed to have lifted off her shoulders.

“Can I request a favour, though?”

He regarded her for a moment, trying to formulate a response. Willow shifted her manner of standing for a moment, fixing him with a look that was imploring. It was a look that his sisters gave him when they needed something, a favour of sorts or something like it.

“Could you look after Weiss for me? She is so much like me, the _wilful_ girl...”

He nodded. He would do that anyways, he knew. Jaune Arc was someone who did not give up on his friends, no matter the cost, even if that was his life. There was a look in his eyes that she saw and she pressed a light kiss to his lips in response to it, surprise in his eyes.

“Make her return home safely, Mister Arc. _Please._ And... And I'd like you to return _with_ her.”

It was not the intimacy that they had shared or the liquor. It was the taste of the alcohol on her lips and that faint hint that he’d done something good for something, some sort of reprieve from the woes of the day, a deep and desperate need for something more.

“I’ll make sure that Weiss returns home safely, Willow.”

An old maid she might be, but she was at least caring for her, more caring than her own mother seemed to be. The woman gave a soft smile, waving him off.

“I’ll have to make sure that the mess is taken care of. By all means do see yourself out... I seem to need a shower after such a... _straining_ evening of _enjoyment_.”

A coy little smile on her lips, as she looked at him with an look that he’d seen Weiss wear a few times. She looked awfully familiar with her hair down, he guessed that Weiss might be mimicking her... Winter certainly didn’t look that warm.

A hand reached in one of the cabinets and pulled out a bottle of something. It looked like Eau d’Schnee, but he couldn’t be sure of the label. The Schnee crest stood out on it though.

“Something for the smell. You will probably have to mingle a little with your friends before being allowed to depart... This should banish the worst of the smell.”

His skin felt sticky and his back felt a little wet, so he applied some of the perfume, or whatever it was. It smelled a bit like something his dad would use, something used by older men. He smoothed his short hair out a little, the woman giving him a once-over.

He made his way, aware that he was smelling like he’d just had some vigorous exercise that he was covering up with cologne or perfume or something else. It wasn’t going to be mentioned, because...

Because it wouldn’t be nice to make the woman suffer embarrassment. He’d connected with her on more than one level, he felt. She was someone who _needed_ a comforting moment because he’d seen it in her eyes. He’d been that _moment_ for her. He'd helped someone in need, again.

It felt good.

* * *

“Sooooo... Where did _you_ get off to?”

Nora asked, and he didn’t answer. He scratched the back of his neck, as he saw General Ironwood and Winter come from the doors that had been dedicated to the meeting, Clover standing there like the good vanguard that he was. Nora seemed interested in finding out where he’d been.

“I was... to the bathroom. Ran into some company. They needed a hand.”

He caught Weiss being surrounded by several of the younger members of high society, wrapping an arm around her. He felt a little lighter for some reason, and he caught her looking a little surprised at the arm that suddenly wrapped around her.

“Hey Weiss, it’s time to go. Your leader’s looking a bit uncomfortable.”

He didn’t mind the dirty looks that he got, even as Weiss scrunched up her nose, clearly not fond of the touch.

“Hey, we’re talking to Miss Schnee here. You can’t just-“

He gave the young man a look, not taking his words seriously. If Weiss wasn’t comfortable, she wasn’t comfortable.

“I’m a licensed Huntsman and I’m here to retrieve Weiss Schnee for her team leader. If you want to question orders, go and bother General Ironwood, who seems to be intent on leaving.”

He saw Weiss give him a faint smile as he guided her away. He felt her pull away. “Did you run or something? You smell like my father in my dreams when he’s being chased by Grimm...”

He smiled at her. “Something like that. I _really_ needed the bathroom.” She shook her head, the smile a little less grateful, but that didn’t matter. Willow’s words had came to mind, and he’d keep her safe, even if she’d just be a friend.

“Well, we should get to Ruby anyways.”

He sat in the car next to Ruby’s uncle, who was giving him a look. He didn’t know what that was about, but he guessed that it might’ve been about the liquor that’d soaked into his pants.

“Hit the drink hard, kid?”

He nodded, the man giving him a look that was hesitant and then clearing his throat. “Ain’t good for your health, kid. You smell like me after a bad night.” There was a faint murmur, as he rolled his shoulder.

“Good stuff though? Smells fancy.”

He guessed that it was. “Schwanentanz, I think. It was... _strong_.” Ren gave him a concerned look, as he brushed a hand through his hair. Ruby’s uncle looked a little too tired, rolling his shoulders.

“Some Atlas Rouge Rock too... I think that was the stuff that got splashed over me.”

A look of surprise and a low whistle from the man, clearly not thinking it to be mere light liquor.

“Woah, that stuff’s pricy. That’s a quarter-million per bottle...”

He supposed Willow had broken into the liquor cabinet of her bosses, if she’d had her special cabinet stocked with it. There had been a quite a few bottles in there. He knew that Ruby’s uncle was trying to get rid of the drinking habit.

“Did you... enjoy yourself?”

Ren always was delicate when asking, even with his eyes resting on his neck. He smiled, his eyes looking out of the window to the light-illuminated night.

“I met someone who cared for Weiss. We had a few drinks. A nice older lady.”

His friend gave his usual smile, which never really showed what he was thinking. It was a softness in the eyes that conveyed that gratitude. Ruby’s uncle gave one of those looks that his father might’ve also given, nudging Ren.

“Look at him, getting some action, huh? Was it good, kid?”

He blushed a little, aware that he had been found out. She had been like a deep craving, a passion below that surface of apathy and despair.

“Great. We talked a lot about Weiss when she was younger. She has been working for the Schnee family for a very long time, apparently.”

The man made an intrigued sound, shifting a little in his seating pattern. “Winter’s mom hasn’t had much in the way of staff. She told me about that... well, before we _soured_ a bit on our professional relationship. The only guy in that household who was looking out for her and her little sister was some butler named Klein.”

That sounded right. Weiss had asked about the man, he’d apparently been let go. That was sad, he didn’t know whether Willow had been facing the same issues as the man, if she’d just been left to drink.

“So, you didn’t do anything with one of the women at the party, then? The blonde one was looking at you, after that little splash you made.”

He shook his head, the man grinning still. He didn’t think that Willow was a vapid woman who only seemed to concern herself with status.

“No, Willow was... Heh. A little moody, but sexy. She was... _great_.”

The man fell silent, as he looked at him for a moment, a nonplussed expression on his face.

“Wha?”

Ren looked at him with a weird smile on his face. Jaune didn’t really get it. Ruby’s uncle just looked like he’d heard something really funny.

“We eh, did it in Weiss’ dad’s office. I don’t think she was supposed to be in there.” The man started to laugh, shaking his head with amusement in his eyes.

“I guess that’s _one_ way to give the middle finger to Jacques Schnee.”

He didn’t get what it was supposed to be about, but he wasn’t going to be complaining about it, he got laid. He smiled at the memory. She’d taken his virginity and he’d... he’d given his best to take her last.

“I hope that she got the broken desk cleaned up. She crashed right through it after I did her in the... eh, butt.”

Laughter came from the man, loud and uncontrolled, the man slapping his knees to keep some semblance.

“Kid, you’ve gotten luckier than most, y’know? Winter was looking like she wanted to take a bite out of people when she came out... Oof. Good on you, though.”

* * *

At Atlas Academy their faces were grave and weary. He wondered briefly whether he should ask Weiss about the happy memories with the old maid called Willow, but he waited until the briefing was done. Qrow gave him a look and a grin, looking at Winter as he did.

Winter Schnee spoke up, something about the failure of the negotiations or some-such, her hand pushing a strand of hair out of her face. It looked a little familiar.

“Sooo... Who was it? Who’s charmed our big bad leader?”

Nora asked, even with his gaze remaining on Winter as she spoke. There was something about her face, something that Weiss lacked and-

“Wait, what?”

He said, looking at Nora. She pointed at his neck.

“ _Hickey_ on your neck. Someone bit you and sucked. Pretty good deduction skills, right?”

She wasn’t that far with Ren, he guessed. He didn’t want to think too much about it, knowing that Ren and Nora liked their peace and quiet. Quiet more for Ren, and Peace too. Nora just liked to be hyper-active in the morning.

“Well, I ran into an older woman, who-“

The image on the screen turned to a very familiar room, featuring a familiar man behind a desk. Weiss’ father and... some guy that he didn’t know. The room was very familiar though, and he knew that he’d fucked the hot maid in that room, perhaps as a dig against the man who paid her wages.

“Ooh, ooh! You’ve had _sex!_ ”

He blushed, and he was aware that people were looking at him. Ruby’s uncle looked faintly amused, giving him a lazy thumbs-up, and he wondered briefly whether he could get out of this unscathed.

“Well, there was this older woman who I met at the party and I was a little drunk an-“

Weiss and Winter turned to him at the same time, and he started to notice their features blend together. The statuesque manner that Winter had and her chest and Weiss’ general features. If Willow had her hair in a ponytail, and Weiss matured a little with more of a bust, they'd probably look a lot like... _Willow_.

Blue eyes. Pale hair. Visits to Mantle, mentions of Weiss growing up and her father. The stories that a mother or a butler would know, but she'd never explicitly stated that she was a part of the staff. He'd thought it odd for a brief moment when she said that he hadn't had to clean, that there was staff for that sort of thing...

_‘Oh, shit. OH SHIT!’_

He was aware of the conversation falling silent, as someone’s Scroll went off, a small ding-dong-bleep-crackle. Weiss looked at him directly with an odd look and he dreaded to hear what was going to be said. It was going to be _bad,_ he just _knew_ it.

“That’s your Scroll notification tone. _Please_ tell me that you didn’t lose your Scroll...”

She answered it, the small screen showing a face he knew well. The woman he had fucked only an hour and a half before.

“Hello and good evening, Weiss, Winter. Your father was a little displeased after your... _abrupt_ departure. I found a Scroll laying about the house and I just had to call to inform that it was retrieved... Oh, and the breastplate is in good condition as well. Could you put Mister Arc on the Scroll for a moment?” 

_‘I fucked Weiss’ mom. No, wait, I fucked THEIR mom.’_

He’d fucked her. He’d given her oral sex, she’d... Oh god, he’d fucked her mom on her father’s desk, if the room belonged to who he thought it did. This was bad. Weiss and Winter didn’t seem to pay too much attention, Weiss heaving a sigh of relief for some reason, mumbling for some sort of miracle. He took the Scroll and the woman smiled, freshly showered or something like it.

“I have packaged your breastplate and will have it delivered to Atlas Academy first thing in the morning, Mister Arc.”

The smile on her lips was warmer and kinder than the pained look that he’d seen before on her. He could notice Nora’s eyes going wide, as she connected the dots. He didn’t think Weiss and Winter did, even if the woman herself was talking. He gave a stammered thank you, flushing bright red.

“Here, eh... Here’s your daughter again, thank you, Mrs Schnee.”

Her mouth formed a perfect O. She looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. He just might’ve, with how badly he’d fucked up. Ren gave him a look too, surprise visible on his face.

“Are you well, mother?”

_‘I think it’s time to leave.’_

He made his way out of the room before more could happen. He didn’t think Weiss or Winter would take it well to know that he had slept with their mother.

It had been _wonderful_ , though. It was a memory he would cherish.

He slept badly, Nora immediately bursting loose with questions upon entering the room they had as theirs in the dorms. He didn’t see Weiss or Winter, though Ruby came by asking how he was. He had smiled and said that something didn’t quite agree with his system. The hangover he felt in the morning was not worth the trouble either...

He’d fucked their _mom._

 _Damn_.

Maybe the ladies loved it indeed.

* * *

**Well... This _had_ to be written. There’ll be commissions taken, starting 2020, if people are interested in that. Information will be added, if people are like ‘yeah, sure, let’s help Cyanide pay the bills.’.**

**Leave a comment if you've enjoyed it, and a happy 2020!**


	2. Dinner party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sequel! Now with a Schnee Dinner Party!

**A sequel, because I got talking with a very avid Winter Knight shipper.**

* * *

The pillow was soft and his eyes were still closed, even with the pounding headache that threatened to wake him from the dreams that he’d had. It was the day after the party, after that moment when he’d-

He startled fully awake, suddenly very aware that he’d had _sex_ , that he’d made an older woman reach that peak and had given her pleasure. The darkness of the dorm room that he shared with the members of his team had been banished for the waxing sunlight that peered in through the window, fixing him with a new reason to groan. He felt like shit. His throat was parched and scratchy, his eyes hurt by just searching for the right things.

He’d not gone and slept in a shirt, going shirtless for once. He remembered heat, lips against his own. He scratched his armpit as he got out, taking a few steps.

_‘Her name was Willow and…’_

He’d fucked Weiss’ _mom_. He’d _fucked_ her mom, he’d _kissed_ her mom on the mouth like a lover and he’d made her dad’s desk collapse. He was _so_ beyond screwed that it was lucky that he’d even get to be clear of the explosion if Weiss or Winter learned of that little faux-pas.

She was sending his breastplate over, at least. That was a good thing, he knew. Without armour, you were just a fool with a death wish. It wasn’t something that he could easily talk out, not without the thought that ghosted through his mind…

It’d been _great_.

He heard someone clear their throat, Nora from the sound of it, turning around. Her pale bra looked normal in the light, as decency and modesty had gone out of the window during their trip. Ruby still had secluded herself, but his team? He’d banished the feeling of modesty out of the window when Nora had been parading herself around in just her underwear, saying that he should join them for a tanning session, even though it had been raining. A tent tanning session…

“You’re showing, Jaune. Good sex, wasn’t it?”

He looked at her, Nora smiling challengingly. Ren was still conked out like he’d been hit in the face with a sledgehammer… or Magnhild, now that he thought of it.

“Hush, you.”

Adjusting himself was an easy task as Nora pointedly did not look away. She was a little annoying, even as she cheekily smiled.

“That’s our glorious leader, proudly showing his morning glory. Rennie doesn’t know, you know? So… Good sex, right?”

He nodded, sighing a little. Nora wasn’t going to give this up easily, not after all the teasing she’d given when they’d been eating another casserole. It was something that made him wonder whether Nora had this inbuilt sensor for Team Leader embarrassment, but it was fine to be teased. His sisters did it.

_‘Yeah, and I had sex with someone’s mom. She’s like… mom’s age?’_

She was damn fine, though. Nora coughed, looking away for once.

“ _Showing_ , Jaune. Eesh, I should’ve offered that threesome earlier, now you’ve gone and be be-Schnee-zled.”

_‘Wait, what threesome?’_

She looked at him again, and he just grabbed his pants. It wouldn’t be something he’d easily do, but-

“ _What_ threesome?”

Nora smiled, almost shyly. That was a novel thing, as she glanced at Ren.

“When you were… well, when we were in the park, Ren and I saw the statue. We don’t want to lose you, Jaune. You’re like a brother to us, and-“

He held up a hand, stopping her from continuing.

“Hey, wait! This isn’t going to be like that joke that Saphron made, was it? Because I swear, if she tries to hint one more time that I’m the bottom of that relationship-“

Nora’s smile was a little broader, as she waggled her eyebrows.

“Hey, I mean, I was _open_ to it, but _someone_ had to go and steal an airship.”

_‘Oh god, so that’s what she meant when I should be in bed at ten-‘_

She smirked at him and poked his chest. He didn’t know if she was serious. She could have been serious or she could have been joking, but-

“Nora?”

She looked seriously at him, as his tone had questioned.

“I want you _happy_ , Jaune. I love Ren.”

She looked at the bed, where he was still passed out. A look on her face, as she glanced down, before she looked at him.

“You don’t have to be _alone_. You’ve got _us_. If- If things are tough, _talk_ to us. And if you’re giving her mom a re-do, make sure that we know so we can avoid the fallout of Weiss exploding.”

He flushed red, scratching the back of his head. Nora shook her head.

“I’m not going to hurt Weiss like that. It’s just a drunk thing, it happened once. You should’ve heard her talk about her daughters and son. She _loves_ them so much, but she’s _trapped_.”

It was not fun to remember the look on the face of the woman, as he got himself ready. Some training might work better, because he had to catch up to the others. He wasn’t going to let them down if he could help it.

It was nearing nine in the morning when he put the sword down and headed for the showers, the sweat dripping from his upper body, the shirt that he’d worn dripping wet. It had been good to try out a few of the extra moves that he’d been thinking up, just to distract himself from the oncoming onslaught, aware of the fact that he’d had fun last night, that he’d had a ‘special party’ with a woman old enough to be his mother, and who had been the mother of one of his friends.

_‘If she doesn’t mention it, I won’t either.’_

It wasn’t going to be a problem. It had been a party, they’d been _drunk_ and it’d been… _fun_.

The issue with his mini-Arc standing at attention was becoming a problem as he rubbed himself with a sponge, washing the grime away and just gazing at his reflection, his hair peaky in spaces. It looked a little like a banana, he supposed. A whole bunch of banana’s, and he’d just given Weiss’ mom a banana splitting.

_‘Don’t think about how good it was. She was a hot woman and she’s old enough to be your MOTHER.’_

He towelled himself off slowly, rolling his shoulders to clean himself of the leftover burn that he felt. A fresh shirt, covering his muscular torso, just enough to make him look _good_ , like his mother said he should. An Arc went everywhere with a smile, a good hope for the future and that irresistible confidence… Or so it was said. Dad said so, so it must be so! He smiled at his reflection, seeing it smile back.

_‘You had sex last night, Jaune.’_

The smile turned better, one of the Ace-Ops entering, the Faunus guy with the dog tail who kept spelling his name wrong.

“Feeling confident, eh? Too much to drink at the party had you off to bed early, so you’d best… stay frosty.”

Jaune didn’t respond, fixing his hair a little. “You’ve got your gear home-delivered, or so I’ve heard. General Ironwood’s going to chew you out for that, just a bit of a warning.”

He’d have to remember that, of course. The dog tail wagged, clearly showing what the Faunus thought of that.

“Thanks for the heads-up.”

* * *

He went to the common room, watching how Winter was pacing outside the door, her expression looking thunderous, the uniform that she wore freshly pressed and crisp, her dark eyebrows a contrast to her snow-white hair.

“Something the matter?”

It was a casual way of addressing the Goliath in the room, but the look that he got was fierce, blue eyes gazing at him and the woman drawing herself up to her full height.

“ _You’re_ the matter. _Mother_ decided to come and _hand_ - _deliver_ your armour and your Scroll, and she is currently in a conversation with the General.”

That was _not_ what he had expected, knowing that there was something that had gone wrong in that family. His face showed worry, her expression tinting with the faintest hint of anger.

“Well, I just wanted to-“

Her lips pressed tightly together, clearly showing some displeasure. She pointed to the entrance.

“Get _in_ , and- No, _wait_ , I’ll join you. Weiss is there as well, and I’d better-“

There was a worry, something in her stance. The happy girl that had sung, horridly off-key, with her mother on one of the feast days, now a woman who served the power of Atlas’ grand military.

He spotted the woman who’d taken his virginity sat at the table, holding a small glass of something that didn’t look like alcohol. Younger in the features, more rested than he’d seen before, Weiss looking a little more hesitantly than before, as she let her attention rest on the speakers, General Ironwood looking tense, his beard full.

“Not a problem, Mrs Schnee. It is our duty to assist people, and we take-“

His presence was noted, as was Winter’s. He saw the older woman, the woman who’d taken his innocence and his other innocent bits, straighten herself a little. The brooch looked fine in the ensemble that she wore today, muted blue colours, something formal and stiff. A look in her eyes, as she made her posture perfect.

_‘This is the woman you fucked, Jaune Arc. This is the woman whose ass you rammed yourself into and who just-‘_

By the Gods, it was _hard_ to keep himself from smiling. He knew that a humble look was the best, since he was supposed to be guilty, but the pride he felt and the shame that warred with it at having been someone who’d done such things to a mother of three, a married wife.

A _hot_ woman, older and more experienced in some parts of the dance between a man and a woman.

“Mister Arc, it is fortunate that you are still in a decent state. I thought it fitting to ensure that your armour was delivered here personally.”

A warm smile, one that a mother would give to a friend of her daughters, the frown on Weiss’ face barely shifting to Winter’s disdain. Weiss was kinder, he supposed, with her eyes.

“Thank you, Mrs Schnee. I- I really needed that visit to the bathroom. The alcohol did not quite agree with my system.”

A little raise of the corner of her lips, her positioning shifting a little. Her bosom strained against her outfit and he was painfully aware that he was the centre of attention. A kind smile, the woman’s eyes looking into his own, searching, yet formalities were to be observed.

“The Schnee Family is not unkind to those who come to our home as guests, Mister Arc. I, for one, did appreciate making your acquaintance.”

A little curve of the lips, as the woman’s glass raised once more and she sipped it. Those lips had been wrapped around his cock only… twelve hours before? He was blushing, as he looked away.

“ _This_ is the moment where you say ‘Thank you’, Mister Arc.”

A curve of the lips, to make a smile. He saw Weiss giving him a look that was like a half-frown, Winter just looking uncomfortable and like she’s about to comment on matters.

“Thank you, Mrs Schnee. For- for bringing my armour and my Scroll back. You could’ve just- I dunno, mailed them?”

There was a distance between them, but the woman kept her carefully maintained expression, her eyes glinting, as she turned to her daughters.

“I have an ulterior motive for this, Mister Arc. I had the desire to speak with General Ironwood.”

Turning, her rear was visible and it took willpower not to stare. That ass he had smashed like the button on a fighting game. He’d fucked it like he’d been dying and it held the cure and his dick had been the key that unlocked that box.

_‘What Willow has, Weiss and Winter could only wish for.’_

“I wish to have dinner with my daughters, General Ironwood. After… certain _unfortunate_ events, I thought it best to reconnect…”

The General shifted a little, glancing at his subordinates and then trying to glean the reason for it. Weiss looked a little hesitant, yearning for it, whilst Winter seemed to be anxious. A small hint of something, as the woman smiled, a genuine smile. A beautiful smile, shared by her daughters as well.

“To have a dinner with my daughters and…”

She turned her head, giving Winter a long glance. “shift things towards _positivity_ , rather than _negativity_.”

Winter wasn’t up for it, he could tell from the set of her jaw. She strode forward, and he blocked her, the frown on her face growing as he kept blocking her.

“Mother, you have quite some nerve, coming after what Weiss discovered about father, I am half of a mind to- Get out of the way, you blonde moron.”

He kept in her path, blocking her from access to her mother. It was wrong to do this, but the woman didn’t deserve to have an angry daughter in her face. The happy girl who had loved her mother would not like to shout at her, though the angry woman she had grown up into would.

“She’s your mother, Specialist Schnee. Not _all_ of us have our mothers still alive, so I won’t let you pass me. She is here to _talk_ , so I _suggest_ that you keep _yourself_ in check.”

He wasn’t going to let Winter bring a feud into the life of her mother. It was stupid, but he knew that the woman meant well. The tales that she’d told of her daughters, kind and gentle with the love of a mother.

Anger in her eyes shone, but the General cleared his throat.

“That will be _enough_ , Mister Arc. Specialist Schnee, please, manage your temper. Your mother is here and I will not have a repeat of the meeting with your father, Councilman Schnee.”

He could see the setting of her jaw, the look in those eyes that stared at him with that grudging knowledge that she was not going to back down.

It was sad, seeing a woman like her lose it like this. Her mother was broken, elegant and refined, but still hurting inside. A woman who he had made love to, in a moment of teenage hormones, or perhaps the yearning for something of closure, a woman who shared with him something and with whom he had shared something.

“It’s just _dinner_ , Winter. Something with the three of us, a-“

Tiredness, weariness in that voice, as he heard her come closer behind him. He stared into the blue eyes of the eldest Schnee daughter, fierce and bold, burning, a hand against his back, pushing against him in an effort to shift him.

He moved, in accordance with her wishes, taking a few steps to the side to let her pass. He took note of her expression, the gentleness of her features. Contrasting the fierce look on her oldest daughter’s face, he saw much of her mother in her.

“Winter, let’s _not_ fight.”

Weiss came to the rescue, speaking up. Willow’s face seemed to grow relieved, as her eldest daughter’s face twisted, her eyes closing and a slow exhale coming.

“General Ironwood? Would it be alright if I requested Mister Arc here as an escort? It seems that he has some experience with handling errant children, at least from the mission record.”

The man’s face was cautious, but his eyes told a different story. There was something in the eyes that shifted. Amusement, perhaps, as his beard twitched a little as his lips remained firm.

“Specialist Schnee, I am assigning Jaune Arc to the escorting of your mother to a dinner gathering. It will be… _good_ , given the current circumstances, for you to relax a little. Things have been tense and your outburst earlier with the other councilmen has given ample reasoning for an evening of rest and relaxation.”

He smiled. This was just like the kid shepherding mission, letting the moms get a good look of how a Huntsman acted.

“No casserole needed, Mrs Schnee. This one’s for free. Weiss is my friend and-”

He’d said something wrong by the shocked faces that Weiss, General Ironwood and Winter made, something that was apparent a faux-pas, from how the painful way that the Atlesians winced. Willow seemed to take it in good spirits, as her smile seemed to shift to something a little more coy. Nothing like last night.

“I am a _married_ woman, Mister Arc, though it is flattering to think that I would be desirable by a young man like you. I’m afraid I will have to deny such a fancy.”

Weiss gave him a look that was very much like the one she’d given him when they were still students back at Beacon and he’d asked her out and Willow’s laugh rang out, spotting the issue that he wasn’t getting.

“To offer a casserole to an appealing individual is to insinuate that you would be open for an encounter of _need_ with said person. No strings attached, so to say in the youthful verbiage.”

_‘Oh.’_

That would explain why they kept opening their jackets, giving him a good look at them. Trying to force him to take another casserole, making insinuations about how they’d not mind a strong man around the house for a few hours.

“So _that’s_ why they kept on giving me casseroles.”

He could hear Weiss groan, as she shook her head. Winter looked a little disturbed, as he saw the General merely shake his head. How could _he_ have known that they’d been asking him for sex? He wasn’t Atlesian.

“You seem to be quite the ladies man then, Mister Arc.”

A smile, polite and yet with that hint, as the woman shifted. It was intentional, perhaps, but her bosom made a slow wiggle. It was tantalizing, as no haze of alcohol brought with it the feeling of weariness, her body close by.

“I’m just- It’s not.”

He felt a little shy, as the woman’s hand brushed through the mane of hair, her eyes holding a soft mirth, something deep in those eyes alluring, and he could still remember last night.

“Do have a fun day, Weiss, Winter. I must be off to… _engage_ with your father. Mister Arc… _don’t_ expect a casserole from me.”

A light smile, as he saw her pass by Winter, before her head turned as she stood in the door opening.

“But if _you_ would like to learn a recipe for casserole, I would be _happy_ to teach you, Weiss.”

The spluttering that Weiss made was heavy, as the woman departed without much left, the glass that she’d half-way finished still left behind. The General looked faintly amused, as Winter and Weiss seemed to try to struggle to come to terms with the fact that their mother had made an insinuation of such a thing.

“So… That happened.”

He was the first to speak, the General giving a serious look, his expression barely changing much.

“It seems you’ve been fortunate enough to be selected to be the escort of Mrs Schnee, Mister Arc.”

He wasn’t sure what to feel about that, as Weiss spluttered something.

“But… But _why?_ ”

Jaune could imagine a reason, but he wasn’t going to just blurt out ‘because she took all of my virginities less than a day before’ whilst in the same room as Weiss and her older sister. There was a brief flash of panic that shot through his body before he just realized that this was a pretty big thing.

“This is going to be one of those fancy dining things, isn’t it? Weiss? Do I need to know something? Don’t order the carrots or I’ll be propositioning you?”

The look that she gave him was stony, as Winter mimicked it perfectly. He held up his hands to ward off any assault they’d go for with the death glares.

“I swear, I honestly didn’t know about the casserole thing! I thought they were just being friendly, offering me a casserole and needing help around the house!”

Their glares did not lessen in the slightest. He’d actually fucked their mom, quite savagely too. No matter what the woman would say, he’d still had _sex_ with her after getting drunk.

“It seems you might have been _mistaken_ , Mister Arc. Mother is… oftentimes a little difficult to handle, especially when drunk. The whims of that woman are a mystery that we have both often asked ourselves whether they were appropriate to plumb.”

_‘I plumbed your mom like an underpaid student plumber, Winter. I cleaned her pipes and flushed them white.’_

He turned his gaze down to the floor. He felt bad for that encounter now, for the insinuation. He remembered the woman, how she had talked and whispered conspiratorially. She was a beautiful woman, Weiss and Willow the most similar in their appearance.

“We’ve not… Well, my mother is alive, my father is probably alive, but a lot of the mothers of my friends are just not there. Can you…, I don’t know, just, _try_?”

Winter was about to say something when her Scroll rang, General Ironwood’s form stiffening a little. He caught Weiss looking at her sister worriedly. A quick conversation, spoken too swiftly for him to track clearly, and Winter’s Scroll was back in her uniform, collapsed once more.

“I must be off. My duties call me. Have a pleasant day, Weiss.”

He was about to wish her a pleasant day as well, but only received a stony glare from Winter. His hand lowered again and he sighed. She was cold, businesslike and not much like Weiss, who was warmer in her nature.

“You really should know this kind of thing for the future, Jaune. Propositioning my mother like that.”

Weiss said, something in her eyes holding an understanding, as a small smile came to her lips.

“But I suppose it is a good thing to see that she’s able to joke again. It has been _years_ since she has been able to laugh _._ ”

He smiled at the girl that had brought something to his life when she had first appeared, a sense of purpose, a yearning for acceptance and witnessing that perfection up close. They were friends now, and General Ironwood spoke up.

“Missions for today are on the board, people. Let’s do our best for the Amity Tower.”

He selected the mission for the child shepherding. Under Councilman Schnee’s direction, that mission was still familiar. Now that he knew what a casserole meant, he knew that he was going to be denying any and all casseroles.

He returned to Atlas with a freshly-baked bread in a paper bag. It’d been a thank you from the most ardent of the casserole providers, not quite sure what it meant, but he’d have to ask later for dinner.

He entered the dorm and took a quick shower, starting to prepare for tonight’s dinner. He wasn’t sure whether he should pack Crocea Mors for this, but he did so anyways. The sheath and the sword would be an accessory to everything, so it wouldn’t be too much out of tune with whatever they did for dinner.

_‘The best way to be always prepared is to keep your weapon close and your teammates closer.’_

* * *

A swift knocking on the door and he found himself looking at General Ironwood, whose face looked serious. The man had come for a personal visit, and he was still in his underwear.

“Ah, General, I’m sorry, I was jus-“

The man smiled, the weariness on his face showing clearly. A wrapped package was in the man’s hands. It had the markings of something that looked like the Atlas Military’s emblem on the side, a blue sticker sealing it.

“As you probably don’t have anything resembling formalwear, I have taken it upon myself to provide you with something. Do _enjoy_ yourself, Mister Arc. You seem to have made a good impression on Mrs Schnee.”

_‘Yeah, I made an impression on her ass.’_

He took the package and the General dismissed himself, the door swishing shut. Opening the package, he found a set of white pants and a formal-wear jacket, similar in the style that the General himself busied during formal engagements, the jacket closing at the front.

_‘Great, this is just like the tuxedo.’_

He’d somehow made it work. He glanced at Nora’s bunk and then debated whether he should take a dress as a backup outfit… it’d made a fool out of him, but it had made Pyrrha smile. He somehow doubted it, though.

He dressed himself swiftly and looked at himself in the mirror, grabbing the gel and starting to slick his hair down a little. The banana had to go for this, if he wanted to make a good impression.

He emerged from his dorm room twenty minutes later, his Scroll tucked securely in his pocket and his weapon hung at his side, just in case he would need to use it. Proper protection was always important.

_‘Let’s give a good showing. Weiss’ mom shouldn’t have a bad time.’_

A whistle of appreciation was heard behind him and he caught sight of Harriet strolling up to him.

“Going someplace fancy, eh?”

He smiled, trying to keep his mental calm. This was a moment that he hadn’t expected.

“Out for dinner with Weiss and her sister.”

He left the fact that he’d be going as an escort for their mother out, because it was an official mission and such, secrecy was… probably a good idea.

“Cool. You clear up well, slowpoke.”

He wasn’t a slowpoke, but he didn’t comment on it. He had other things to worry about, as the member of the Ace-Ops passed him by, letting him hurry to the room that’d been assigned as RWBY’s dorm.

He knocked once, as was polite. The door opened and he could see Ruby, spotting an irate-looking Blake currently giving Yang a look that meant business, Yang holding a very frilly bra that he wouldn’t have expected Blake to wear.

“Eh, hi. Is Weiss ready yet?”

Surprise on Ruby’s face, as Weiss emerged, wearing a simple dark blue dress with the Schnee crest visible upon the sides, her legs freed for the occasion, the dress open at the sides, revealing an awful lot of thigh. It looked good on her.

“Well, _this_ is a change. You _do_ know how to dress for the occasion.”

He would’ve made a comment about her being a snow angel if it had been two years previously, but just smiled. He still felt a little guilty for that encounter with her mother, and his smile wasn’t as radiant as it could be.

“The General handed me this, said it would be something fitting for the occasion. I was just going to take my hoodie, it’s not like it’s eh…”

He noticed that she was trying to stifle a laugh, her eyes twinkling in that same way her mother had. The comparison between mother and daughter made his pants feel entirely too tight, as the errant thought of ‘I wonder how Weiss would be in bed’ made its way through his head, like that one time his sisters had dressed him in that cute pink dress that totally had gone with the makeup and the repressed memories.

“Mother only eats at the finest of places, Jaune. It would be likely that you’d get refused at the door if you do not adhere to the dress code.”

That made some sense to him, as he scratched his cheek. The conversation of last night gave him a different image of the woman, though that might’ve been the alcohol talking. Willow Schnee did not feel like a woman who cared for the fancy dining and the other pleasures of life, she felt like a mother who yearned to be with her family once more.

“Then I look appropriate.”

She nodded, straightening his tie a little. A little smile toyed on her lips and she let her hands rest for a moment, as her eyes just stared.

“Why don’t you just _kiss_ him, Weiss? You’re damn close to trying to throttle him already, so come on!”

Yang’s voice jerked her out of her thoughts and the tie choked him off as she tightened it too much, taking a few steps back.

“I don’t see _you_ making an effort to let go of Blake’s bra and actually dating, Yang. Come on, Jaune. We must go. Mother dislikes tardiness.”

She did not bring her weapon, which was understandable given her dress. He followed at her side, a few steps behind her. His eyes looked at her braided hair bobbing a little with every step that she made, the heels that she wore accentuating just how _small_ she was in comparison to her sister, who definitely was taller. Her mother wasn’t very tall either, but thinking of her mother…

_‘Oof.’_

Winter looked professional, wearing her Specialist outfit, as she had earlier today. It was likely that she would remain in function for the entire evening, her weapon at her side. She looked a little nervous, absent-mindedly brushing a hand over her side.

With how he remembered her acting earlier, something must have rattled her, Weiss looking concerned.

“Is everything alright, Winter?”

Concern, as her sister snapped to attention, her smile not as warm as it could be, her eyes colder when they laid on him, before approval filled them.

“You do seem to be capable of dressing up well, Mister Arc. Colour me… _surprised_.”

Stiff and formal, trying to keep herself under control and as perfect as she should be. He made sure to give her the warmest smile he could. All you needed was a bit of confidence, after all. She was Willow’s eldest daughter, enough for them to-

“Good evening, Winter, Weiss.”

The voice of the woman had the effect of making his pants feel _really_ tight, as his eyes caught sight of the woman, her hair done in a bun, her features much like her daughters but still with that twist, the dark blue dress accented with white Schnee crests, the cleavage outlining once more that Winter and Willow probably shared a cup size, his breath escaping his lips in a loud sound in the sudden silence.

She strode to him, the smell of something that resembled perfume in his nostrils, a small bag dangling on her arm. She took a moment to sniff, before she smiled.

“A gift, Mister Arc. _Do_ apply it, since I haven’t had much to do with Huntsmen, yet I know that a man should smell good.”

A small perfume bottle, protected by a see-through packaging, the volume really small, but he caught the hint. He’d forgotten to apply some cologne. He made an apologetic sound, as he looked at the woman.

“Ah, yes. I was- Sorry, I’ll go put some on. Thank you, Mrs Schnee.”

He took the gift, taking a moment to get to the bathroom and then unpackaging it. It smelled different from the rest, something that was like berries and thin hints of spice, a fragrance that wasn’t very manly, but held a certain appeal. The packaging he disposed of since it was still packaging, the bottle tucked in his pocket.

He caught the last dregs of a conversation between the three Schnee women, Weiss having a worried look on her face as Willow merely smiled softly at his approach. She offered him her arm, which he took.

 _“Much_ better, Mister Arc. Has my daughter provided a casserole for you yet, or is that still in the making?”

A humoured tone, one that poked fun at his earlier misconception that had been disabused so violently, and he felt flustered. Weiss made a soft groaning sound, as Winter gave him a look as if daring to respond to that.

“Which one?”

The wrong answer, as if by god-given right, came from his mouth. The woman smiled in the same way that Weiss did when she saw an advantage, a soft, maternal laugh coming from her lips at the thought.

“Are _both_ of my daughters not fetching an interest, Mister Arc? I am sure that a man of your calibre must have had _thoughts_ of some nature about my dearest children.”

It was the familiar tone, his arm adjusting a little. Like with the dance, her steps were light and her voice held that faint hint of emotions below the surface, and she smelled good.

“Well, I don’t know much about being a man, I mean-“

Her hand tapped his chest, a slight shake of her head, as her eyes went towards her daughters. Heavy blue eyes, loving them so much with every expression, gazing at an uncomfortable Weiss and a Winter who looked like she’d want to make him into barbecued meat, clearly not very happy, if the twitches of her face showed.

“If a woman _says_ you are a man, then you should _take_ the compliment whilst remaining silent, _Mister_ Arc. _Many_ would wish to be in your position, surrounded by some of the prettiest women in Atlas.”

Weiss spoke up first.

“Mother, he’s not… I’m not interested in him. He’s just a friend.”

That hurt a little to hear, her mother giving him a look that held concern, as her eyes met her daughters’ eyes and then flickered back to him, a small twitch to the lips that usually heralded something in Weiss’ pattern of behaviour to suggest a little move.

“He will be an apt bodyguard, at the very least. Won’t you, Mister Arc?”

He nodded, not trusting his voice to say anything. The woman dragged him along, moving with deliberate and delicate steps towards the car, already leaving the two daughters of the woman behind, neither of whom had said a single word after their mother’s rather swift proclamation.

The trip towards the restaurant for their dinner engagement was silent. He sat next to the woman as her bodyguard, his silence kept as he could, trying to keep himself in check, to not look at the other two women with eyes that could be construed as ‘too intense’.

* * *

There wasn’t anyone speaking, Weiss looked out of the window and Winter merely kept her gaze peering at the distance, obviously absorbed with someone. He wasn’t the best at keeping quiet, so he shifted a little. He caught Willow’s eyes looking at him, a faint hesitation showing through in her body language. She looked a little helpless, unwilling to cut into a topic that would heat tensions between her and her daughters again.

“So… What kind of restaurant is it?”

His breaking of the silence had the Schnee’s in the limousine looking at him, Winter’s arched eyebrow and Weiss’ faint smile, something funny apparently having been said about it.

“I’m _dumb_ , so help me out. Is it like those fancy-dandy places where you’d have to walk over a golden staircase and be all ‘polite’?”

A warmer smile, as the older woman’s hand caressed his side, ostentatiously to pull the Scroll from the small bag at her side that he’d barely noticed whilst getting into the car.

“It’s more of a formal dining restaurant, Mister Arc. Do not fear, I don’t think they’ll serve casserole there.”

A soft laugh, as she didn’t let go of the joke. This teasing side of her was something that he didn’t quite mind, as Winter and Weiss made a face.

“Mother, that is quite improper.”

The woman looked at her oldest daughter, a look in her eyes, as he caught the official page for the restaurant. It looked fancy, with fine dining.

“Winter, my dear… Am I not allowed to poke fun at our little Huntsman here for a faux-pas? Really, if I’d-“

She paused, her expression turning heavier, as she sighed deeply.

“I’d like _one_ night of having a pleasant dinner with my daughters, Winter. Is that so much to ask?”

He could understand that, from the perspective of the woman herself. To be abandoned by the daughters that the woman loved was something he could never imagine happening with his own family.

“You’ve never done it before, mother. I am here as a courtesy to Weiss, and-“

He saw the pain in the older woman’s eyes that flashed before it was replaced with something that was understanding. Weiss gave a soft gasp as she held her sister’s hand, the two sisters seated closely together.

“She’s _trying_ , Winter.”

He’d take the hit, even if she hated his guts. The woman that he had made, in an odd manner, love to last night, didn’t deserve to hear such hurtful words.

“It’s fine, Mister Arc. I have done many things that I could have done otherwise. It is not unfair of her to say such a thing.”

The politeness, the deference to her daughter’s wishes, and he looked at her, his hand grabbing her shoulder and holding it, pointing a finger at her oldest daughter.

“You at least _try_ , Willow. She doesn’t _want_ to. Your husband is a _dick_. A pure asshole, do you think that he’d even think about taking your daughters out for a dinner just to talk?”

He was exaggerating perhaps a little, but his eyes met Winter’s. Confusion, a hint of something else and anger, as Weiss looked saddened.

“I saw a woman once who had killed someone close to me. She didn’t even care, she didn’t even think it worth as more of a mention, and I fought against her. It’s _never_ too late to come back together, and I’m not going to just be the helpless guy left in his rocket locker whilst someone I care for gets hurt because _someone_ didn’t have the empathy to see that their mother is trying to make amends!”

It might be his protectiveness for his friends that was playing up, but he wasn’t going to let them make a mistake that could have been avoided by swallowing their feelings for a moment and just enjoying their mother’s presence. His fingers touched Willow’s shoulder, holding on to it.

“Weiss nearly _died_ when that bitch hit her in the gut, and I’m _not_ seeing _another_ mother grieve for the daughter that she lost when things could’ve been better between them!”

His Aura wrapped around the woman, lighting her up with a faint blue glow, the woman’s eyes blinking once, and he realized that he had shouted at Winter. The eldest Schnee looked at him, eyes a mix of anger and something else.

It was Weiss who spoke up, her voice soft.

“Jaune, it’s not that she’s-“

It was wrong, he knew. Anger welled up in his chest.

“Can’t you see that _this_ is how it starts? One moment, you dismiss _her_ and the next moment she’s _dead_ and you’ll _never_ be able to say anything to her again but have to stand in front of her statue and just _apologize_. Ruby’s lost her mom, Yang’s mom is whoever knows where and Blake’s mom and dad are trying to make the White Fang better, so _please_ … Just have a good dinner, okay?”

His hand left the woman’s and he reined in his aura, the glow dissipating for a moment, looking out of the window. He closed his eyes and just let the feeling slowly dissipate.

Remembering Cinder and facing her at Haven was a good way to get him angry, the feeling still going through his body. The silence stretched, as his words had come out angrily, speaking of the hurt that some of his friends had suffered.

_‘I shouldn’t have said that.’_

“I’m sorry, I just…”

He started, but didn’t quite finish when Weiss spoke up.

“No, you’re- You’re right. It’s for the best that we move beyond this.”

Willow spoke up lightly. Her voice sounded like she wished to keep the conversation civil, but something in that voice of hers didn’t seem to hide her emotions. He’d had more than enough experience with her daughter to see that.

“We’ve arrived, daughters, Mister Arc.”

* * *

The private table in one of the rooms set aside for high dignitaries was broad, allowing them to easily sit whilst their personal waiters stood at attention. His own, a young man who could’ve been Clover’s younger brother if not for the shock of bright orange-green hair, was currently listing the menu.

Weiss and Winter were softly speaking to each other, the woman’s attentions on him, her expression carefully sculpted in that kind yet matronly visage. He caught her eye, adjusting the sword at his side. He was probably being paranoid, but he didn’t want to have anything go wrong.

A short, dark-haired female server came by with their starter, the feeling of something in his gut telling him that there was something off and he came snagged one of them off the plate, popping it into his mouth and tasting it. The smell of smoke and ashes hung around the woman, smelling like something burnt and twisted. She must be a smoker or something.

_‘Hmm… Nope, I don’t think these taste great.’_

“These things taste _horrible_ , so _sour_. What’re they even supposed to be?”

His stomach churned and twisted, pain shooting from his gut up to the sides. It was like nausea, something worse. The server placed the food on the middle of the table, as Willow gave a small smile.

“They are _supposed_ to taste sweet, Mister Arc. Perhaps not quite to the standards that you would wish, but I suppose we can just dismiss them. It was a thought inspired by our last… well, I suppose you _might_ have outgrown them. They are more children’s food than…”

It was sweet to see her daughters just smile together at the thought. Weiss looked at him for a moment and his Scroll beeped, pulling it out and seeing that his Aura somehow had gotten really low. He focused for a moment, the bar going up again quickly, feeling the warmth go through him and banish that weird queasy feeling.

“Do take them away. I suppose a light soup might work just as well.”

It was perhaps her instigation, but the daughters smiled softly. The waitress gave a nod and silently took away the plate.

“It’s one of the benefits of having been a wealthy donor, Mister Arc. Weiss, do you have any requests?”

She looked at him with what might be her better smile, her eyes looking at him with a hint of something that might be kindness, whilst Winter gave a soft sound, still distracted by some musing of her own.

“A lightly seasoned pork roast with the sweet honey sauce?”

He could see her eyes light up, her mother smiling at that request. Weiss smiled back in return, and he kept his silence. The moment where his friend smiled at her mother was something that would be remembered.

“Your drink, sir.”

His waiter said, placing the glass of soda in front of him, a glass of fruit juice in front of Willow already half-drank. It was something that he noticed, Willow’s fingers caressing the stem of the glass, not letting it go. Her eyes were watching her daughters, Winter’s half-absent look at him somewhat strange, but it was there.

“I’ll take the chicken burger with the ketchup-garlic sauce, with a side of potatoes and some eh… Coleslaw? Yeah, let’s go with that, it sounds good.”

Weiss and Winter raised their eyebrows, as Willow’s amused face showed that he’d messed up. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t want to know what fish eggs tasted like. He wasn’t born into rich life like they had been.

“Amusing, why would you pick that? Out of the thousand dishes they serve, why would you go for something so pedestrian?”

He didn’t really think it was too pedestrian. He liked a good burger, some potatoes and something green. Mom said that you always had to eat your greens, or you’d turn evil and mean.

“Well, I like a burger, potatoes are nice and filling and my mother said that I should always eat my greens, so…”

He flushed his taste buds with the soda, the vile taste of that appetizer still remaining in his mouth.

“A wise mother, indeed. I see that it’s made you into quite the beacon… Weiss, about what he said earlier… Can the staff leave us for five minutes? Private talk, so… do be gone.”

There was a moment in that voice that showed her seriousness, as her features shifted, the apathy within her features of the previous day gone, revealing the care of a mother that he saw in her eyes, feeling the sudden urge to get up and away.

“Mister Arc, _please_ , stay. This involves you as well.”

Her voice was sterner, more like the voice of his mother when she really wasn’t happy with her children, his eyes catching sight of Weiss and fixing her daughter with a look that was concerned.

“What did Mister Arc mean when he said that you’d been hit in the gut and nearly died, Weiss?”

There was hesitation in Weiss’ eyes, and he could see that Winter was looking at Weiss as well, worry in her eyes. He remembered that moment, the smoke and the ashes and that _woman_ just laughing about it.

“There was… there was an _incident_ at Haven, someone who was responsible for the Fall of Beacon coming and- and I was hit in the stomach. Jaune… His Semblance helped me recover.”

The woman’s eyes looked serious, even though he remembered yesterday’s moody and broody moment. He caught Winter’s empathic look, like she wished to say something but didn’t quite know how. There was a deep look in those eyes, as she turned them to him. Something in them had changed, something that wasn’t the dismissive look that he’d seen before.

“It was nothing, Mrs Schnee. She’s my friend and, well… It wouldn’t be the same with Weiss gone.”

Willow turned to him, her expression serious and a small seated bow given to him, the mother’s face showing vulnerability.

“Thank you, Mister Arc, on behalf of my daughter. I hope that she at least paid you back in an appropriate fashion. The Schnee family owes you a debt.”

It was formal words, but he thought that she’d repaid him plenty, not that he’d ever voice it.

“We went to the movies yesterday. It was nice, and our friend Oscar was there with us. It was enough, and-“

The mother looked at her daughter, who fidgeted a little. There was unease in Weiss’ eyes, as she looked a little ashamed because of something.

“You never told me about that, Weiss.”

Winter said, and Weiss shook her head.

“It wasn’t so important, Winter. You’ve got a busy job and I-“

Winter shook her head. It was more violent than before, more of an aggressive, primal way that she shook her head.

“ _Never_ too busy for my little sister. _Never_. Mother is… _right._ ”

It looked like it pained her to say that aloud. Her eyes looked at her sister with something in them, a shiver going through her as she touched her younger sister.

“You could’ve been _dead_ , Weiss. I could’ve lost my little sister, just because- Even if-”

Jaune got up from his seat, spotting the impending argument that was about to erupt.

“I’ll have to go to the bathroom, I’ll leave you for a moment.”

He exited the private room, coming to see several of the wait staff waiting to be admitted.

“Just heading to the bathroom… Eh, where is it?”

His own waiter gave directions and he did his business, the silent server standing with her back against the wall opposite of the door with the others, clearly not bid back into the room yet, looking like she was taking the time to gather herself. A bottle of red wine was in her hands, held in an awkward grip. He gave her a smile, the deep green eyes giving him a look, a smile on her lips broadening a little. She still smelled like smoke, like she smoked heavy cigars.

* * *

The Schnee women were engaged in a discussion that he only caught the tail end of, Weiss looking at him with a tiny smile.

“Thank you, Jaune. I… I might’ve been a little ungrateful.”

He smiled in return, dismissing it already, making sure that Weiss was happy was one of the things he’d do for free. Not that he’d charge anything anyways, but she was still his friend.

Dinner proceeded, some talk had about Willow, the glass of fruit juice swiftly refilled by the waiter attending her, and the conversation turned to something more tangible, Jaune not taking an active hand in it.

“When did you stop drinking, Mother?”

It was a question that brought to his mind the evening before, feeling that lazy feeling hit him as he had finished his food, his attention directed towards the woman who sat there, a faint smile on the woman’s lips as she held the glass up.

“I had a flash of something… A… moment, you could call it, of insight.”

There was a look in her eyes as she glanced at him, a tender moment as her head bent to the glass, sipping the juice once more.

“I want to be your _mother_. A moment of indulgence in spirits isn’t worth the time to miss the beautiful girls that you are blossoming into full-grown women.”

He was paying attention to things around them, as the courses changed and the servers brought in the next course, ice-cream. He caught the server with the dark hair shuffling a little behind Winter, holding the same bottle of wine at an awkward angle, his eyes closing, as he inhaled deeply, smelling the scents around him.

He remembered something, as it registered that none of them at the table really drank alcohol. Willow hadn’t opted for the option, but she apparently was a well-known drunkard.

_“You’re just a failure with a death wish.”_

The words hit him, as the smell registered. His hand brushed over the hilt of Crocea Mors at his side as he looked at the server, getting up from his seat. The server wasn’t paying attention to him, or at least, not fully, trying to work the cork on the bottle of wine, angling the bottle right to the back of Winter’s chair.

_‘Only one bitch smells like that…’_

He put a smile on his face as he approached Weiss, his attention keeping the peripheral vision on Winter’s waiter.

“Could you-“

The bottle flickered, a parasol-like weapon with a _very_ sharp point angling towards the back of the older sister of the girl he’d once had feelings for. If that hit Winter without proper time to guard, she’d be dead. That’d be another death on his conscience, another thing that could have been prevented. His blade hit the parasol and he caught sight of mismatched eyes, his hand on the back of Winter’s chair, throwing it to the ground in a swift motion, together with the movement of putting his body in front of Winter's. If someone was getting hurt, it'd be him. Mismatched eyes widened in frustration as he blocked it.

“I knew I smelled something familiar before…“

The waitress dodged backwards, her hair changing colours, a pouty look on her face, as the petite woman stood there. Winter was getting up, her hand brushing towards her weapons, a Glyph forming at her side, as the waitress pouted. A light wave and the door burst apart, as the image seemed to shatter like a light show.

“She’s one of Cinder’s associates… I’d recognize that smell of burnt person anywhere.”

He felt the paranoia hit, as he looked at the other waiters, most of them looking like they were in a state of shock.

“Come on, all of you, out. Single file, your back to me. Hurt any of these women and I’ll make sure that you will be hurt in return, much more severely.”

He was _still_ a Huntsman. He had gotten his license, and he’d gotten laid last night moreso than anything, but he would keep his friends safe. He could have anything happen to him, as long as they were safe, and assassins were not tolerated in the slightest. Weiss looked nervous, her dress looking a little cumbersome.

He was aware that his suit had been stained and that Winter was looking none too unruffled, but there was something in the woman’s eyes, something that held more emotion than he’d seen before.

“I think we’d best vacate the premises… If that thing I had for a starter depleted my Aura to such a level that I needed it to recharge, well, there’s no telling what it’d have done to any of you.”

He felt protective, and Weiss looked at him, Willow giving a look that was perhaps a touch too warm for the situation.

“Then I guess we’d best leave. I will be leaving a review on the establishment’s review board… Assassinations weren’t quite the entertainment that we ordered tonight.”

It was wry humour, but it drew a laugh from him, as he remembered that face. Cinder Fall had a new _friend_. Cinder must be alive if that was the case. _Great._

* * *

They made their way to the car, someone apologizing profusely whilst Winter and himself took to guarding Weiss and Willow, the mother and daughter couple having come unarmed, a foolish thought, apparently.

Winter looked at him with a question in her eyes, her eyes holding a shred of hesitation, as she breathed in deeply. She held open the car door, her dark eyebrows contrasting in a manner with her pale hair. There was a tension in her shoulders, he could tell, as Weiss and Willow got into the car.

They rode in silence, Winter’s expression still grave. Undoubtedly she was going through the events of today, and he shouldn’t interfere with someone who was much more skilled than he was. He was after all just nineteen, and she was… twenty-five? Thereabouts.

As they stopped in front of Atlas Academy, Winter fixed him with her blue eyed gaze, her tongue sliding over her lips as she inhaled swiftly.

“Since… Since Weiss thinks of you as a friend, would you be…”

He could see a hint of colour on her cheeks, slowly letting the pale skin turn red, her eyes looking at him with a plea, perhaps a hint of stubbornness.

“I’d like to ask you, Jaune Arc, whether you’d like to go on a date with me in 48 hours.”

Weiss looked taken aback, her eyes wide and her mouth joining it slowly. Willow’s surprise was visible as well, as Winter’s eyes firmed in their expressiveness. There was determination in those eyes, a little hint of something that wasn’t fear, but indecision.

“Do not fear, I will foot the bill for this, as I have asked. I know that it would be perhaps a tough thought, but I-“

He gave a small nod, his blonde hair rubbing along the ceiling of the car.

“I’d _love_ to.”

Now he had a _date_ with Winter Schnee. The woman smiled at him, not much unlike her mother.

“Wait, _what_?”

Then Weiss broke that magical moment, as her sister turned to her.

“He seems to be a fitting young gentleman, Weiss. I am not… _untouched_ , by his actions.”

Weiss pointed at him, her mouth opening and closing, a soft “ _Him_?” emerging from her lips.

It was official now. Winter Schnee wanted to go on a date with him. If he didn’t know that the woman was very serious, he might have imagined that there would be hidden camera’s all over. The smile on her lips was warmer, and he caught that feeling of his heartbeat picking up once more.

“Let’s have fun together, Mister Arc.”

_‘Nora is going to love this, if Weiss doesn’t end me…’_

How had he gotten himself landed in this situation?

* * *

**A sequel, because well, I got to talking and people were like 'you gotta do a sequel, Cyanide'.**

[ **Cyanidesinscommissions@gmail.com** ](mailto:Cyanidesinscommissions@gmail.com) **is where I have to pimp my literary talent out for paying my bills… So yeah, wooh. Cyanide sells out, because the hospital bills took his money.**

**I hope people enjoyed this second chapter!**


	3. Winter's date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date, preceded by introspection!

**Winter Knight vibes are increasing.**

* * *

Nothing. That was all that they did to deal with the issue of one of Cinder Fall’s associates, just because there was no _evidence_ of it being a woman thought dead. As if that mattered…

_‘If it had been you…’_

It was a wrong thought to think as he threw himself into his training for the day, his body moving faster. He’d thrown the chair with Winter on it to the floor, he’d guarded her and Weiss against the assassin and he’d seen them back home same.

He wouldn’t let Weiss suffer the death of a sister _or_ a mother. There would be no next Pyrrha Nikos, dying because of some woman who just wanted _power_. It would ruin Ruby’s spirit, making her lose that spark of hope within her.

“Busy, Yawn?”

Marrow seemed to be more concerned with other things, his uniform crisp as he threw a towel at him. Jaune caught it, wiping the sweat off his face, the Faunus giving a grin at him, nudging him.

“Because I heard this _really_ interesting thing. You are going on a date with Specialist Schnee… So, how’d you manage to do that, huh? Care to show a few tips for an old dog like me?”

_‘You’re twenty-four…’_

He wasn’t going to comment on that, but he shrugged, wiping his face some more.

“Well, she said that I should be prepared to go out with her, and eh… I dunno? Maybe it’s just something that she’d like to do?”

He hadn’t really fully understood why, but she’d offered him a date and he had accepted. Nora _still_ didn’t know and Weiss was not talking to him for some reason. That made sense, considering that Winter Schnee was a woman who held the most power in Atlas military matters after General Ironwood.

“Nah, not her. It’s all business, all ‘Stand straight, Amin! A man doesn’t slouch like some buffoon!’ and ‘Why is your uniform untidy? Clean it up at once!’. If she was my date, I’d wear something formal.”

He really didn’t think that Winter would be all that formal in her daily attire… though he’d _never_ seen her out of uniform. Even during the dinner, she’d worn the stuffy and formal Atlesian formal uniform, her weapon at her side. He hoped that she’d pick something a little less formal, because looking like he was going to be out on a military inspection most certainly was not in the cards for him.

_‘We’d look like Judge Fear and Judge Mint.’_

“I think she’s just trying to repay me for saving her life.”

The tail rose and the Ace Operative specialist looked at him with a curious look, raising an eyebrow.

_‘Haven’t they been briefed?’_

“ _You_? Saving Winter Schnee’s life? Hard-ass Winter ‘I have ice in my veins and give me thirty push-ups for doubting that’ Schnee?!”

He caught sight of the woman and Weiss entering, the Specialist giving an ill-amused smile that looked more like a grimace as she heard that last part.

“Well, I certainly _doubt_ that it was my charming appearance. Her mother was grateful. I think I might’ve swallowed poison as well. I’d do it again though. Nobody deserves to be hurt when I’m around.”

He hadn’t noticed that at first. It was something that seemed to have been in the first appetizer or something, and it might’ve been luck that had inspired him to take one for a quick taste-test of the Atlesian appetizers, no matter how it’d looked.

“Damn, that’s one thing. I hope you have a good date then, it’d take quite a bit to shake that stick she’s got up her ass loose.”

Weiss looked like she’d say something, but it was Winter who spoke up.

“Private Amin, report to the facilities for cleaning duties for the next month. Showing disrespect and doing boyish talk is _not_ tolerated in the Atlas military!”

The tail drooped immediately, as the man gave a ‘Yes, Specialist Schnee’, disappearing, Winter looking at Jaune with a look, her lips firmly pressed together. There was something in those eyes that beheld him with a look that was half-firmed in conviction, a slow sway back and forth as the woman seemed to take five seconds.

“You are _not_ visually unappealing. It occurred to me after a chat with my younger sister that you might need some guide for style. Dress casually. Tomorrow evening at seven.”

He saluted, which made the woman’s lips press together softly. Weiss just looked uncomfortable, as Winter’s lips parted a little. Her mother had a warmer smile, but Winter’s was just stiff and formal, her face thawing a little as she seemed to unfreeze a little.

“I am-“

She froze over immediately, the warmth fading from her features.

“Do not be _late_ , Mister Arc. Come, Weiss. Let’s go and spar.”

He went for the showers, Weiss giving him a look that was not certain of how to proceed, following behind her sister as she marched towards the special room for training maneuvers. He was right back to the dorm room that he shared with his team, applying some of the stuff that Willow had given him as a bit of freshening. Nora was up already, looking into the mirror and checking her reflection, her eyes meeting his own.

“Gone to your harem of girlfriends, Jaune?”

_‘They’re not my girlfriends…’_

They’re just the mothers of the children that he shepherded to school frequently enough to become a near-staple fixture in the neighborhood. Now that he knew what a casserole meant, it was easier to deny them.

_‘It’d just be my luck that I’d get another one…’_

As the stop sign in his hand was lowered, he caught sight of one of the women giving him the _look_ , that look that he’d mistaken for friendliness, but in another older woman’s eyes, had turned into scorching hot moments that ghosted through his mind and had collapsed part of Councilor Schnee’s desk.

“Say, are you free tonight? I’d like a big strong man to help me with a few bits of furniture…”

There was no casserole now, luckily. He’d denied her first, the blonde-haired woman giving him a look that definitely implied things that were a bit more than furniture moving. He noticed that there was no wedding ring on her finger, and there was certainly a shiver that made its way through her body as he looked at her.

“I’m afraid I’ve got some training to do, Casey. I’d like to ask something though…”

The woman’s eyes seemed to glimmer with what seemed to be interest in her eyes. It might also be a look of ‘I want you to steam my casserole’, but he’d never been good with that.

“Where’s the best club in town to go dancing at? I’ve got a date with- well, she’s the older sister of one of my friends, and I don’t think she’s ever been dancing.”

There was a pouty look on her face, but she seemed to get what he was hinting at. “I’ll bake you something nice for tomorrow. The best club to go dancing is at-“

The address made little sense, and she put the coordinates in his Scroll, checking it for a moment. The other ladies went and gathered around him, offering helpful tips. That their hands were touching him wasn’t really much of an issue, until someone grabbed his butt.

“Hey!”

The apologetic smiles were as fake as the time his mom said that it’d be okay to get a tooth pulled and that it wasn’t hurtful at all.

“It’s just to repay me for saving her life. She’s the older sister of one of the girls I had a crush on and-“

The ‘Ooh!’ from the ladies and the comments turned a little more intimate than he’d experienced. Suggestions were thrown about date places, several of the ladies making a comment about their own husbands _‘Wait, why did they offer me a casserole?’_ and their experiences there.

* * *

He returned to the dorm, setting his Scroll on the table. Several bleeps were coming from it as he shed the armour and then went for a quick shower in the bathroom, Nora entering the bathroom and standing outside the shower curtain, clearing her throat.

“Jaune… We’re going to go out on a date tonight, Ren is… well, he said that we’d be doing something _nice_ together, so… Don’t worry? We’ll be quiet when we return as well, and-“

She didn’t have to say anything more. He pushed open the shower curtain and she looked at him, the hot steamy air brushing against her features. Her hair was still short, the smell of her deodorant and whatever perfume she used to keep herself smelling fresh there, as her eyes looked at him- well, they looked for a moment and then dropped.

_‘You don’t have to feel bad about wanting a moment to yourself with Ren.’_

Hot lips on his own, blue eyes looking into his own. A moment where the desk creaked and she’d just curled up in that passionate manner before he had exploded.

“I’m not sure that I should be saluted like that, Jaune. Flattered, I am, but Ren’s my man. Save that for the time we’re a little drunk and…”

She flushed, looking away. He cared for her. If Nora asked something and it wasn’t too outlandish, he’d give it to her.

“I’ll take Oscar and we’ll stay clear from the dorm for most of the evening until like… 2.”

He could give them a moment, as Nora smiled, her head nodding once.

“If I didn’t have Ren, you’d better have watched out, buster! I’d be making sure that you knew that Thunder Thighs has no competition!”

_‘Oh gods…’_

He could just imagine Nora doing something like that. Like the traitor that it was, his manhood betrayed the thought he had, as Nora gave a soft whistle.

“I really guess that the ladies love it… No wonder you’ve got seven sisters.”

He didn’t really get that. It just wouldn’t go down. Nora’s insinuation that she’d have ridden him like she rode Ursa’s was still a hot thought, even if it was his best friend’s girlfriend who was saying it, a girlfriend who’d said that she might’ve wanted a threesome with him and her boyfriend and… this totally wasn’t helping.

“Gee, take care of that before it pokes someone’s eye out. I mean… oof. Like, put it down and… Yeah, so, mmmyeah, date with Ren, skedaddle, kay?”

He could understand that desire. He grinned at her, running a hand over his short hair.

“Hey, he’s my brother from another mother, of course I’d not forget the bro-code.”

She winked at him, suddenly tapping his nose.

“Guess that makes me a hoe, huh? My field’s getting ploughed today! Yes!”

She turned around with a little ‘whee!’ as she did, skipping lightly out of the bathroom, leaving him to feel the chill of the air hitting him. The little Jaune shrank and he hopped back under the shower, thoughts of Nora gone for the moment.

He got out of the dorm around nine, when Nora said that she’d be back. Opening his Scroll up for the first time, he saw the unknown numbers that’d sent him messages, walking towards the far side of the edge of Atlas Academy, just gazing out over the frozen tundra that stretched beyond, a field where the marks of battle against the Grimm still stood out.

_‘What we think is what we wish for…’_

It was a silly thought in his mind, as he pulled his Scroll out of his pocket and just stared at it for a while, the unread messages containing picture attachments. Probably some scam, though he supposed that the topmost number belonged to Casey, as the icon had the picture of the woman’s daughter attached with the woman’s smiling face.

_‘I’ll look at them later.’_

Snow slowly fell around him as he watched the empty and desolate environment outside of the walls of Mantle, the people of Mantle slowly quieting down once more as Councilor Schnee was instated. The authority that the man had now would need to be transferred in slow increments, according to the democratic process.

“You’re looking cold, Mister Arc.”

Winter Schnee’s voice came crisply from behind him. He checked the Scroll for the time, seeing that it was nearly 11 at night, his eyes looking into the distance. Due to his Aura, he would probably be fine even if he went stark-naked into the cold, but that wasn’t something that he would be willing to put to the test anytime soon.

“I like to think sometimes…”

The woman sat down next to him, looking out over the wasteland beyond the walls. There were small little dots in the wasteland, moving slowly, Grimm traversing the snow, too insignificant to require a Huntsman’s presence, but still a threat of sorts.

“What if things had been different? What if I had fought at Beacon, would I-“

_‘Would Pyrrha still be alive?’_

It was a strange thought, as he voiced it aloud to the woman who had not been there personally, at least not to his knowledge. Her dark eyebrows and her pale hair was a mismatch, but there was beauty in her. Her eyes softened a little.

“You would be hurt, possibly dead. A lot of people died there, Mister Arc. A lot of people _will_ die here, if-“

The woman sighed, as her hand brushed over her scalp, the hair loosened a little. He’d say that she looked like her mother when talking, but that wouldn’t go over well.

“When you have to make a decision to do what’s right, what you need to do for the betterment of the people… Sometimes, you have to make that choice, even if it is the hardest thing to do.”

He could understand that. A soft voice, a remembrance of autumn.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

He sighed, knowing that he shouldn’t let that conversation hang over his head. His eyes turned to the woman, whose face seemed to be caught in an expression of forlorn wonder. Her posture was half-straightened, as if she didn’t know what to do with it fully, something off about her.

“Making tough choices is a thing that a leader should do.”

The woman didn’t respond, as she looked out over the fields still. He could see that there was something in her eyes that made the ice around her retreat, that showed the woman that she could be. A softness, warmth that seemed to come from the heart.

“General Ironwood believes that we can stop Salem.”

It sounded more like the rote excuse, something that someone would say to hold on to that hope, the woman sitting down next to him. The snow around her did not ruffle her outfit for one moment, looking at the desolation below and further into the tundra of Solitas.

_‘He doesn’t know, not yet.’_

“Do you?”

It slipped out, a moment of brusque honesty. He could see the surprise on her face, as her expression firmed up again. It wasn’t time to think about the bad things, but think on the good things. They were here, they had the Relic and General Ironwood was going to make the world right again with the Amity Communications Tower.

“I don’t know. If I-“

Winter paused for a moment, a soft smile on her lips, her fingers reaching out, grasping at the empty air.9“If it makes sure that Weiss is safe and unharmed, I would go to any length to ensure that. No matter the sacrifice.”

He could feel it, that love that she had for her younger sister. Much of the same love was within her mother, older as the woman was, still caring so much for her children, despite her melancholy.

“That’s what I’d do for my family too, for my friends.”

The older woman nodded. Snow was starting to fall heavier now, the coolness of the air making their breath puff out in frozen clouds of water vapour. Her cool blue eyes did not detract from the beauty of her face as she turned to look at him, a smile on her lips.

“I shall look forward to our date. I have been searching for some venues, but-“

He had the right thought in mind, opening his Scroll up. His finger tapped the button for opening the mail message by accident and he caught a full-frontal picture of a woman who most _certainly_ was married, looking flirtatiously at the camera. She wasn’t wearing much in the way of clothing, her top most certainly gone and her breasts out. There was a missed call by an unknown number as well, and two calls from the same number at different times, but he wasn't sure who that might be.

Winter looked at him with that Schnee look of ‘I am not amused’ that her mother most certainly would have used at times to deal with them, as he pushed the picture away, another picture of another woman who _also_ had been married springing up on the screen, in a _very_ provocative way.

“Eh, damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have lent my Scroll for a moment…”

He pulled the mail program out of sight and then called up the coordinates for the club.

“They gave a few suggestions for going out to dinner and I suppose they’d decided to have a bit of fun with the shepherd of children…”

Winter’s lips quirked into what probably went for a smile, as her hand touched his own, pushing the Scroll down.

“They gave you the casseroles? Well… That makes sense that they would go to such lengths. Even if mother made a jest about it, I would not readily assume that she would be up for such a thing.”

Winter was dead wrong there. Her mother had taken his virginities and he’d fucked her ass so hard that the thought of that glorious ass had still given him problems walking straight whenever he thought about it.

Willow Schnee was an _experience_.

“I’m pretty sure that there won’t be any such encounter between myself and your mother, Winter.”

He saw her eyes turn away, a deep look of sadness in them for a moment, as her breath escaped in a stream of hot air, her eyes turning to the moon, high in the sky.

“No, perhaps. She _did_ approve of you, though. It was…”

The woman’s face looked pensive, as he watched her for a while, her lips parted but the final end to that sentence never quite escaping her lips. She looked forlorn and lost, something that she probably never showed Weiss. He just did what felt natural, wrapping an arm around her and giving her a bit of his Aura. Willow had said that it was very warm, so he’d rather not make Winter feel cold.

She shrank away under his touch, her eyes blazing with the sudden touching of her body, a comment already on her lips and yet, stopped in a moment as he pushed more of his Aura into her. She looked at him angrily, his best smile directed to the woman.

“You looked cold.”

He smiled, the sorrowful mood from the woman something that he hadn’t expected, though he supposed it would be like this for the woman. Atlas was in crisis, her father was trying to wield the scepter of power and get as many benefits as he could get.

Her lips turned to a small smile, nodding her head.

“Life as a Specialist is never about enjoying oneself, Mister Arc. When I joined up, I made the decision, to give _everything_ for my kingdom.”

It was honesty from her lips, as she looked at him with her eyes deep and conflicted.

“For Atlas, _everything_. Even my very- Just to avoid Father.”

He tried to give her the comfort that she seemed to need, his hand rubbing over her back. The woman stiffened, before she leaned a little closer.

“You asked me out on a date, though.”

She smiled softly, a smile that never quite reached her eyes.

_"Do you believe in destiny?"_

Her smile was fake, he knew that from the first glance, as her lips morphed into something that might have to be the worst impression of a smile he’d ever seen. It just wasn’t genuine.

“I did. I figured it’d be worth an evening of enjoyment for saving my life.”

He would take that answer, and he would believe it, because Winter tried to believe it. If she wanted a date with him… with _him_ , well, he’d make it the best date that he could. Weiss would not be hunting him down for giving her sister a bad date.

“I’ll make it the best date you’ll have, if I can.”

Willow had spoken about Winter, telling him the stories of her youth over that moment. The joy in the woman’s eyes had been near-visible when she’d told of the study project that Winter had handed in when she was six, speaking with such love and warmth about the miniature Grimm that she’d sculpted by hand. It had been horrible, but it’d been an effort.

_‘Even if you’re just doing this as a favour to me, for saving your life out of some Schnee obligation or something… I’ll make sure it’ll be the best date I can give.’_

He’d slept with their mother. He’d _fucked_ their mother. She’d been his first, his best… well, she’d been the only one. That counted, he supposed.

She’d leaned against him, her head against his shoulder. She wasn’t a small woman, but she’d just gotten comfortable, watching the tundra with him.

“Thank you, Mister Arc.”

It sounded more thankful than before, more genuine, and he noticed that her hand brushed over her head, wiping away some of the snow. She got up, shaking her shoulders a little, looking down at Mantle and giving the lightest of sighs.

“It is one in the morning… You’d best get some rest, Mister Arc. Your lady friends with their children might grow… _restless_ , if you do not appear.”

Much like her mother, there was a joking tone to Winter’s voice, as she seemed to be a little lighter in her footsteps, the talking they’d done having been perhaps a mere impulse, but it had still felt _good_ to have a little talk with the woman he was going to take out on a date.

Getting back to the dorm and finding a passed-out Ren in bed, Nora cuddled up to him and giving him a look of ‘wake him up and I will destroy you with Magnhild’ that he knew well, as her arm pulled him a little closer. He dropped into his bunk, aware that Oscar was off being somewhere else, pulling the covers over him and then setting his alarm clock.

The next morning was fairly uneventful, except for the ladies inquiring whether he’d liked the ‘special casserole’ that they’d sent, and whether he’d like to apply some personal cream to their casseroles. He declined the offer, though Casey had said that it would just make her bun even stickier… whatever that meant. He had to ask one of the Atlesians what that meant, because if he had any hint of innuendo, he’d probably just mortally offend someone if he asked.

He got the shirt on before he switched to the hoodie, the large Pumpkin Pete sweater still as wonderful as when he’d first gotten it. The box tops had managed to eke out that win, and it still felt great and comfortable. He kept his new pants on, though. They apparently made him look good.

“J- _Jaune_. You didn’t tell me that you had a date! A _date_! She’s _outside_!”

Nora sounded surprised and a little scared, her eyes wide with that dawning knowledge that he was taking Winter out on a date. He sprayed some of the cologne or whatever it was on, trying to keep himself composed a little. It was just a date, just something to show Winter that he wasn’t worth much effort, just to make sure that Weiss kept a smile on her face.

“Yes, she _did_ ask me out.”

Nora’s face looked stunned, as she pointed at him, then at the door. He rolled his shoulders and then opened the door, coming face-to-face with Winter wearing a light blue shirt that looked fluffy, a white undershirt visible below that made her pop out, a set of leggings that most certainly were not uniform-standard… and a small purse to round it out, her face having some touches of makeup.

_‘She’s not great at doing her makeup…’_

It had smudged a little and she’d overdone it just a little on the blush. She looked ready to go, but this crime against beauty couldn’t be left standing. His sisters would hang him from the highest tree if he didn’t correct a girl’s appearance.

“Mister Arc, a pleasure to-“

He laid his hands on her shoulder and then started to push her into the room. “I’m fixing your makeup. Don’t worry, it’ll be done swiftly. We won’t miss our dinner, I made reservations for eight o’clock, so it’ll be… Sit.”

He pulled out some of the things that Saphron had packed for him and his ‘girl-pack’, something that added just that little dash of beauty to every woman’s face. He started with getting the face cleaned up with a wipe, humming lightly.

“Do you have much experience with doing makeup, Mister Arc?”

A soft hum came from deep in his throat as he started to add some contour, a bit of a blush that was powdered on and then fading lightly into a more natural skin colour that would stay. It wasn’t a big task to do, because Winter had her mother’s features.

He was thankful for the tightness of his pants and the foresight that he’d had for making sure that everything was tucked properly with little movement, because the closeness to the older woman and the thought of her mother brought entirely too many sinful and delightful thoughts to his mind.

“Nora, go and get me a small mirror, okay? Time to show Winter how she looks, just as perfect as a date should.”

He held the mirror in front of her face, giving her a smile.

“Who’s the fairest of them all, hmmm?”

She smiled. With a bit of makeup, her beautiful features were like straight from a painting, not even considered to be human with how ethereal they seemed to have become, the woman’s smell not like her mother, but younger and different.

“Do I perchance look appealing, Mister Arc, to your eyes?”

It was a hesitant question, though her tone did not really change from the formal tone that she’d used. He could see the wonder in her eyes, a wonder that had never been amiss from his own eyes, as he watched carefully for the sight, as her eyes peered into the depths of the mirror.

“Your sister is one of the most beautiful women I know, Winter. It’s only natural that the older sister of a beautiful woman would look just as great.”

That’s what he’d always been told. He had seven sisters, so that was the truth in his eyes. He wasn’t going to complain about it to any of his sisters, because they’d always take longer getting ready if they were annoyed at him.

“Let’s go.”

It would be a nice date and Winter would be able to get on with her life, the Schnee family having repaid its debt. It’d all be back to saving the world again. Winter looked away, Nora catching her expression for a moment, as the woman offered her arm to him, Nora’s thumbs-up behind her back responded to with a little wink.

It was time for their date.

* * *

They sat opposite of each other at the diner that he’d passed by on the trip towards the school where the kids were usually dropped off at, her fingers delicate as she cut into the dish that she’d ordered, something that looked a bit like a quiche, her fingers handling the knife and fork like she was preparing to slaughter it. Her weapons were at her side, her back against the wall.

“Mister Arc, I-“

She paused, her fork piercing the middle of the quiche, as he munched on one of the fatty fries that’d come with the thing that’d been called a _schnitzel_ , his attention directed to his date. He smiled softly, understanding that the ice needed to be broken.

“It’s okay to call me Jaune, Winter. We’re on a date. People call their partner by their first name on a date.”

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, her attention going to him and then to her plate. She seemed to flush for an instant, her cheeks blossoming red before she reassumed control. Cool blue eyes did not seem as cool as before, as she inhaled and then exhaled slowly.

“ _Jaune_. Thank you.”

He smiled. In a move that was bold and daring, he laid his hand on hers, as he looked her in the eyes. There was something behind those eyes, something that seemed to ask questions that he didn’t want to ever hear the answer to.

“Sometimes, all we need is a moment of rest and relaxation. During the election, we’ve all had to stress so much. Even _you_ need a rest, Winter. Weiss wouldn’t like it if you dropped dead from exhaustion. It's like a party, so just... Ease up. Relax.”

She looked pensive, as her eyes closed. The knife was set down and she took his hand, giving it a stronger squeeze than he’d anticipated.

“It’s all for Atlas, Jaune. Thank you for accompanying me tonight. I’d have… I’d have had to find another to go on a date with, if you hadn’t…”

_‘She’s just trying to get the formal stuff out of her way, before she can focus on her job again. That’s sad.’_

She was like her mother, he supposed. A woman who was unable to show the love she felt for her daughters, who would not have a daughter anymore if he hadn’t spotted Cinder’s assassin. His hand grabbed her own a little tighter, as he smiled at her, understanding that feeling.

“I’m glad that I can be of some use. I always think that I’m more of the burden of the team, because Ren and Nora are both more skilled than I am.”

The woman’s lips pursed into a soft smile, the pale red colour on them soft and muted, like her expressions at times. She let her fingers stroke over his hand, and he pushed some of his Aura into her.

“Oh, I would say that you are a little more than I had expected, Mister Arc.”

He ate some more fries, the schnitzel chewy and rough on his taste buds with whatever sauce they had put on, _Jaeger_ or something, for a real Huntsman to chew on. She looked a little distant as her fork made the quiche into something that resembled a mess.

“Here, let me take this away.”

It’d come out of his own pocket, of course. He didn’t want to let his date pay for anything, even if her family was filthy rich. She looked a little lost, as he returned, and when he touched her shoulder, she startled. Just a little shock, but the woman seemed to freeze up.

“It was… _nice, yes._ ”

He offered his hand to help her up, her hand gripping his own and the tension in his body faded, as she smiled at him, a genuine smile for once.

“I look forward to our next destination, Mister Arc.”

He smiled. He knew just the place. She’d probably love to try to dance. He could teach her, if she was half as good as Weiss was at singing on the dance floor, they’d make it a good evening.

The club beat bounced and throbbed like a pulse of the beating heart of music, the bodies mashed together on the dance floor making for an awkward moment, but he caught Winter’s hand before she was pulled along. She was uncomfortable with the circumstances, the masses of people around her unfamiliar, uncertainty blossoming on her face for an instant, as she realized that she held no authority here, that she wasn’t ‘Winter Schnee, Specialist and Right-hand-woman to Ironwood’, but just a woman. With her hair down, she looked approachable and sweet, the proper brushing of it no doubt making her just as beautiful as her sister.

“Here.” He started, a slow little motion with his arms, so she could follow it.

“Like this. You move your arms to the beat, and-“

She repeated with a slow movement, someone hollering, the crowd of people starting to do another move, the dance tune something Atlesian, he presumed, and the motions changed. It was important to go with the flow, to make the body move to the beat.

She was smiling. There was delight in her eyes as she followed along, the shirt that she wore a little tighter, as her body moved to the pulse, his own mimicking it. They were intimate and close, but there was no disdain in those eyes, as she surrendered to the music all that she was. A laugh, cheerful and unworried, came from her lips, as she started to move even wilder.

_‘A good and cheerful girl, just like Willow said…’_

He dragged her to a quiet spot, several of the couples already busy sucking face, just to talk. She looked excited, some sweat visible on her face as she looked about the same age as Weiss, if one had to go and guess at the age of the woman.

“Did you like it?!”

He asked, loudly speaking to get over the pulsating beat of the music, Winter’s smile never quite fading.

“It’s nice, dancing to the beat. I never knew that you could move like this, so… so _thrilling._ I’ll miss this, when I’m-“

She stopped, as she straightened, her posture freezing over again and Winter Schnee disappearing into the frosty cavern that Winter Schnee, Specialist of Atlas was at the current moment.

“It’s nice.”

It was a lie, a half-truth. He knew how to lie. He’d lied to get in, he’d lied to keep his spot and he’d lie again, if it kept his friends safe. She had _enjoyed_ the moment of letting go her worries and just dancing, his hand grabbing her own. He’d treat her like just a girl he’d go on a date with. It was his first date, after all, not… Not like he’d imagined it, in Atlas, going to a diner and then to a club, but it was still his first date.

When she _danced_ , the lights in her eyes were wild and blazing, the smile on her lips was as radiant as the sunrise, her whole body _moved_ to the beat, that drum, her eyes turning to others. Several young women were doing an intimate grind, and he found suddenly that she was doing the same. There was a daring look in her eyes, as he felt her butt brush against his groin, her head craned back and a smile playing on her lips.

“Better hold on, _Jaune_. You’re _my_ date for the night.”

_‘She’s got her mother’s breasts, but there’s more of her mother in her than she thinks.’_

Those buttocks bumped and ground against his groin, the woman, taller than Weiss at least by half a head, moving her rump up and down, the sword and dagger combination that she wore as weapons safely secured, the throng of people barely noticing, as he felt the fine rear bump up and down.

She straightened, before her cheeks burned red.

“I just wished to… try.”

She looked a little less in control, as her hand brushed through her hair, a nervous habit, almost skittish. He smiled at her. It was something that had brought him a spark of enjoyment, as well as a stiffening of his anatomical parts in that region. It was quite a stiff thing, indeed.

“Want to go for a walk in the park? We’re due back at eleven, so perhaps a nice little walk would do you good.”

She nodded, her face looking prim and proper again, as if it was an order. The free-spirited dancing Winter that he’d seen during those moments when she’d let go of herself and all her rules and regulations, had been beautiful. This one? She was like the season, cold and without much room for warmth.

* * *

The park was mostly abandoned, a faint cover of rain from the heating generators warmth falling, the two of them walking along the length of the park, the road below their feet still crisp and swift, Winter’s steps less hurried, as a look came on her face. She was no longer flushed with excitement, but with something that seemed to be melancholy.

His hand wrapped around hers and he pulled her a little closer, which she allowed, by some small miracle. She looked fragile and tender for a moment, looking up to the sky and seeing the lights of Atlas above them.

“It’s been… _pleasant_. I hope to have a fond memory of this, _later_.”

Her voice sounded saddened, somehow brought with that deep sadness, one so shared by her mother. He didn’t know what was wrong with her, but the woman sounded like she was going to leave everything behind.

“We’ll have another fond memory when things are completed on the project. There’ll be time for more dates… You might find someone you like, someone your own age.”

A hollow, tired laugh, as she looked at Atlas above, her movements stopping. She looked sad, the rain dripping from her nose. Her eyes were half-opened, as the rain kept on falling in a slow drizzle. She didn’t answer, just looking up at the large floating piece of land where her father ruled as Councilor.

“There’s just no _time_ , Mister Arc. When Atlas calls, I must _obey_. It _has_ to be like this. For my Kingdom, for everyone-“

Her voice sounded weary and tired, and he guided her towards one of the benches, sitting down on the heated surface and feeling the pleasant warmth go through him. It was not the chill of the night that worried him, but the look on her face.

“But you’re a _person_ , Winter.”

She gave him a look, something that looked wistful, as her eyes turned away.

“I _run_ and _hide_ from my father, Mister Arc. I cannot be in the same room as him without shaking, without feeling the anger burn inside me. If I let loose once… If I slip up, he’s going to go after me. I thought that, if I went for the Military, I’d be free of that urge, but I still… _haven’t._ ”

She sounded tired, his arm around her and pulling her closer again. He felt like he shouldn’t say anything, just to let her talk, but he couldn’t stop it.

“You’re Weiss’ big sister. Whenever she needs you, you’ll be there, right? Your mother’s trying to get closer, so why not love them, and your little brother whilst you’re at it?”

He didn’t have experience with any younger brother, but the guy looked like he needed a hug and maybe a lollipop. No kid should look that serious all the time.

“Being a Specialist requires detachment, Mister Arc. I’ve…”

She halted, her eyes closing, as she got up, turning her head to him.

“We should make our way towards the air dock. It is a quarter to eleven.”

She was prim, she was proper and she was calling him Mister Arc again. He acquiesced, knowing that she wouldn’t be opening up anymore.

“For what it’s worth, Winter… I think you’re the best sister Weiss could want. When you smile, you’re warm and sunny, and I think Weiss looks up to you as much as she does because she knows the true you.”

She didn’t face him, but she inhaled softly and then exhaled. They spent the trip back in silence, his arm resting around hers, holding her close to him. Her manners were perfect towards the military, but to him?

_‘She’s afraid. She’s trying to appear casual, but I know what I saw…’_

“Whenever I’m with you, you don’t have to be afraid. I wouldn’t let anything happen to the big sister of a friend of mine.”

She looked surprised, her eyes looking at him with hesitation in their depths, Weiss looking much the same in some respects, her eyes having that same quality as she seemed to put some thought into it and then nodded.

“You may escort me to my room, Mister Arc. It is only proper that a lady is brought to her lodgings by the gentleman who was her date.”

That made sense. They drew some eyes, him with the floppy bunny on his hoodie, whilst she had dressed casually, seemingly for once. Many people were rubbing their eyes as they passed, as if they’d just seen something that they could not believe.

In front of her room, they stopped, her expression changing, as she glanced around. She looked normal now, or at least, as close to normal as a woman her age could, when faced with such a stressful burden of being the General’s closest aide.

“Mister Ar-, no, _Jaune_ , I thoroughly enjoyed myself tonight. May I make a selfish request?”

He watched her push her door open, looking at him for a moment before speaking.

“Can I… Can I kiss you? It feels… _proper_ , shall we say? To _finish_ a date?”

She sounded uncertain, her eyes looking at him with that plea in their depths to accept her request. He looked into her eyes and then nodded. He’d kissed her mother full-on on the lips, and if Winter wanted to make this a date.

“A kiss for the noble princess, delivered home safe and sound…”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and then pressed her lips against his own, kissing him. His Aura flared softly as he felt her warmth, kissing her back, doing just what he’d done with her mother, her body trembling a little, as she seemed to feel so very nervous, so _scared_ of something.

His aura flooded her and she deepened the kiss. He was pressed against the wall and her tongue was exploring his mouth, her eyes closed as she glowed with his Aura, her lips pulling away, but her eyes never quite opening, until she took a deep breath.

“Thank you, Jaune. It’s been…”

She flushed red, realizing that she’d been forcing him against the wall. He’d hoped that there wasn’t anyone who’d walked by, though this was definitely General Ironwood’s personal slice of the Academy, where all the people of import were… probably not as gossipy as several of the students.

“This was my first date, and that was my first kiss…”

She twisted a little, her cheeks a little red, as she walked to her door and opened it up. A standard dorm showed, with no personal decorations aside from a small picture of Winter and Weiss together on the nightstand, a single room, her eyes looking at him imploringly.

“Would you… Would you like to come in? I’ve… I may have some casserole for you.”

He could see it in her eyes, the hesitation, the doubt. She was trying to make this _perfect_. He shook his head softly, as he placed his hand against her, pushing his Aura into her again. She’d better feel warmer, because this might sting a little.

“I _know_ where this is going, Winter. We’ll wake up in your bed tomorrow, it’ll have been a _mistake_. You’re Weiss her older sister and I don’t want to hurt you by being a bad person and just… using you. You deserve someone who can be better than me.”

He’d slept with her mom. That’d been his first contact with the wonders of sex. He’d slept with her _mom_ and he’d fucked her mom in ways that’d been clumsy, but the woman had accepted. If it’d been Winter’s first date and her first kiss…

_‘I’m not worthy of her.’_

“I don’t want to hurt you, _or_ Weiss. So, I’d like to _thank_ you for the date. I _really_ enjoyed being with you, seeing you smile and laugh. Gods know that in these days, it’s rare to find time to smile, but you’ve got a beautiful one.”

She looked a little tense, her body leaning against the door. Her hands grabbed a hold of him, his hoodie feeling another person take a hold of it.

“I’m _offering,_ Mister Arc. I’d like to know what it feels like, and… and I don’t think you’re a bad choice, no. Not at _all_. I just want it, before- before things _change_ and I _can’t_ anymore.”

_‘Who else is there? Qrow just about hates your guts, Ironwood is apparently half-metal and the Ace-Ops don’t consider each-other friends.’_

He laid his hands on her wrists and tugged them off, his eyes meeting hers and shaking his head slowly.

“It’s okay, Winter. I mean it, it might look like the ending of a perfect date, the two people going to bed together, but it’d be a _mistake_. Now, I hope you’ll have a great night. I really enjoyed myself.”

Her hands fell, her eyes just staring at him as if he was some sort of weird animal. He shouldn’t be the one to do things with her, not with how inexperienced he was. It could ruin someone for life, and…

It was at the door to his team’s dorm that he felt the weight settle on his shoulders. Winter Schnee…

_‘Why? Why would she pick me?’_

He pushed the door open and was met by an excited Nora who was asking him questions at a mile a minute, her body in action as Ren gave him a look and a little thumbs-up.

* * *

**Winter has been cancelled. Atlas is just going to have rain, yep. Some of you may think ‘Why is Winter doing this?’ well, I should’ve given enough hints about that. Jaune isn’t connecting the dots just yet.**


	4. Midwinter Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter and Jaune's second date!
> 
> And a schnee gets rid of her virginity!

**I just write stuff. I hope it's liked.**

* * *

“Jaune?”

Nora’s voice woke him up, her worried face so close to him that he nearly startled, but he shrugged a little, her eyes looking at him with concern as she slipped into bed with him. He didn’t really wear much other than underwear, but they’d seen each other in less, at least once.

_‘Oh, the dream…’_

“Are you okay?”

She sounded concerned, as he remembered the dream. He was chasing after red hair and green eyes, running through a hallway that he remembered. A machine stood there, a girl who looked damaged and battered, scars visible on her flesh.

She turned her head and smiled, before those words came out and he called out to her, before she ran closer to that machine.

“You were calling out for Pyrrha.”

She was concerned, definitely. He hadn’t had the dream in a while, not even after he had seen Cinder Fall again. He blamed himself for being stupid, for being untrained.

“I had that dream again.”

_“Do you believe in destiny?”_

The words ghosted through his mind and he found that Nora hugged him, as she stroked over his back. Ren would probably understand, even if others did not. Nora did not really think much about physical displays of affected, but he needed this.

“It’s okay, Jaune. She would have wanted you to move on.”

He felt morose, as he closed his eyes. Winter’s face came to mind, a pensive look on her features as she looked up at the floating Atlas, ready to take upon her the burden of being the second-in-command to General Ironwood.

“I don’t know why I was thinking of her. I just-“

Nora laid her head against his chest, her short hair looking a little better on her. She just rubbed over his back, offering that comfort that he knew was sincere and well-meant.

“Maybe it’s because you went on a date with Weiss’ sister? You _were_ crushing on Weiss pretty hard in Beacon, y’know? I gave Pyrrha the advice to just grab you and do what she wanted to do to you because you were so dense at times… Weiss never really saw that side of you, even though we all did.”

That brought to mind an image of the girl’s mother, her hands tugging on him, his mouth half-opened to respond, but Nora stiffened, a bittersweet look on her face.

“And… well, her mom _did_. You’ve made her acquaintance, glorious lead- _oh_.”

Nora wasn’t helping much. Nora flushed a little, as she shifted a little. It was an awkward situation that they found themselves in, Nora’s eyes looking with that glint of deviousness in them, the one that made him know that she was thinking of something.

“Did it feel good, hmm?”

_‘Not helping, Nora.’_

He was thinking about how it felt, as Nora teasingly blew against his ear.

“Going for the oldest daughter next, Glorious Leader? Do you think she will do the sam-Oh, woah.”

He looked at her with a look that held the frustration, as her thighs spread a little, Nora giving a shudder as she shifted a little, rubbing against it. She looked at him with a glint in her eyes, smiling a little.

“That’s definitely not going anywhere near my back port, Glorious Leader.”

_‘Gnnnggg!’_

Nora pulled herself out of bed, her face looking serious as she laid a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in bed. He wasn't getting up in that way, even though he was up in another.

“We’re here for you, Jaune. Even if we’ve got to kick the silver-eyed brat’s ass. We’re still team JNPR.”

He knew that. Nora was just trying to help and offer comfort in the same way that he had offered comfort to her a few times. He knew that she didn’t mean anything with it.

“But, if you do wield that Magnhild, I’m buying a bottle of lube. Oof. You could break someone’s ass with that.”

She giggled, leaping into bed with Ren again, who merely made a low groan of ‘Go back to sleep, Nora.’ The image of Willow Schnee’s ass, which had been definitely broken in, came to mind and he groaned, sure that he wouldn’t be able to get anything done as far as sleep went.

_‘I guess I should get some work done.’_

There was always the training rooms, and he could work a little on his aura recharging skills. He hoped that one of the Ace Ops was still around, perhaps he could work in a little spar, his sword work feeling a little rusty.

“Mister Arc.”

The clipped and curt tone of Winter’s voice behind him drew him out of his musing, the blade in his hand slowly shifting back to the smaller form, the shield pulled away from it, turning around and looking at her.

_‘Woah, she looks in bad shape.’_

There were bags under the woman’s eyes, a clear sign of a lack of sleep, something that seemed to have gotten her abuzz, the look in her eyes dangerous and thrilling at the same time.

“Hello there, Winter.”

She straightened, her hands behind her back, her breasts pushed out, her countenance taking a moment to return somewhat to a look that looked much like a superior talking to someone lower on the rung.

“I hope that you have slept well.”

It was a strange way to start idle talk, but he accepted it from her, giving her a smile that was warm. The date had been nice, seeing her unwind a little.

“I slept decently well, until my teammate woke me, asking me something about… well, _that_ isn’t very important. Thank you for being my date yesterday.”

Her lips twitched, as she closed her eyes and seemed to firm herself up. His hand touched her upper shoulder and he pushed some of his Aura into her. The bags under her eyes cleared up and she inhaled sharply, her eyes opening after they’d closed for a moment.

“Mister Arc, that is un-n-“

A genuine smile came to her lips, as he smiled back at her. Winter’s body shifted a little, her hip thrust out a little, her breasts moving with a small wobble as her dark eyebrows relaxed.

“If my Aura makes things a little better, I’m glad to give some to you. You looked tired. In times like these, with all the stress, it’s not giving you a good night’s rest, is it?”

It was silly talk of course, as he probably shouldn’t have, but her smile turned a little more radiant, as she placed a hand to his chest.

“Indeed, Mister Arc. I have done a little thinking and-“

There was hesitation in her voice, as her gaze slid down over his body. His hand touched her side lightly, Winter’s soft sound of gasping comfort there, and her lips parted, her tongue sliding over them. They’d been dry, and her eyes looked conflicted.

“Before I have other duties to attend to, would you perhaps like to spar? The…. The winner decides where our next date shall be.”

_‘There’s going to be another date?’_

He smiled. If she was going to help him train, he could at the very least humour her with that, her body shifting to that fighting stance as she took a moment to take a few steps, the room shifting a little to the simulated field, randomized in a certain manner.

“You’re _on_ , Winter.”

She moved with a pace that was fast, but not as fast as Ruby was, her blade hitting the shield and then turning, bashing it away from him with a swift push upward, his stab hitting only the space of a Glyph as she moved into a ready position, a challenging look on her face, as she got ready.

_‘Just like Weiss.’_

He met her with a charge, knowing that a Schnee had difficulties to deal with a charging opponent. Weiss had issues with fighting in close melee, and his blade met her blade, the dagger stabbing at him as a Glyph blazed around him, a Beowolf summon attacking him from the side, its jaw biting into his arm, his aura holding.

He checked for a moment whether his Aura was still up, only 80% remaining after that bite, as he shattered the Beowolf with a flex, the summon barely a quarter of the strength of a real Beowolf, or so he thought. He pressed the assault, clipping the shield to his sword and shifting it into the larger form, mowing at her. Winter’s eyes widened as her blade yielded, her body pushed away from the hit, her aura rocking, and he checked the meters above their heads, fifty percent of her Aura now gone with that single blow.

“Do not think you can win easily from a Schnee, Mister Arc.”

Glyphs blazed as she came at him, her speed increasing with the glyphs that she stepped on, her body coming from the right, his arm grabbing a hold of hers and then throwing her, Winter landing in a crouch as a massive wave of Nevermores came towards him. He didn’t even think, mowing through them, feeling their pecking and clawing at him, moving onwards.

“A stubborn focus on tactics does not grant one victory, Mister Arc.”

He caught sight of Weiss and Ruby entering and stopping as he continued in his charge, Winter meeting him head-on, his blade touching her own and she dodged backwards only 5% of her aura slipping off the bar.

She was breathing a little heavier, her stamina not like his, her eyes looking wildly at him. His aura bar was full again, recharged in less than thirty seconds. She looked at his aura and then moved, stabbing at him.

He was too slow to shift his shield back from the greatsword version of his weapon, hit in the chest, his Aura flickering for a moment as 25% of his Aura was just gone, an explosion rocking him for a moment.

“Come on, Mister Arc. Don’t be afraid… We Schnee are hard to put down!”

It was a taunt, something that a bolder woman might give, but it fit Winter not, as he shouted, mustering the confidence that he felt at his chances. If Winter attacked, so be it. She was older than him, probably more skilled and she’d actually went to a combat school, but he would not go down in front of his friends.

The Beowolf that brained him from behind was enough to take his Aura to 40%, and he turned around to face the mass of Summons that she had conjured up. He knew that he should make sure that she was disabled first before he’d tackle that horde, but it was better to focus on the major threat rather than the minor one.

He continued, Winter dodging backwards, a whooshing sound as his sword cut only empty air, another sudden assault by one of the Summons chipping off another sliver of his Aura bar, another % lost to the harrying assault.

He focused his Aura, telling it to recover. The bar slid up, gaining 10% in size, Winter’s eyes showing surprise, as she went on the assault.

He fell down a minute later, his Aura at 18%, Winter’s own at 24%, her hand reaching out to help him up.

“I guess it’s my turn to decide, Mister Arc.”

She was sweating and breathing a little heavier, as he closed his eyes, focusing his Aura again. The bar crept back up, filling up again, the warmth making him feel better.

“Need to be topped up again, Winter?”

She looked hesitantly for a moment, before she gave a very small nod. Her body glowed with his own glow of luminescence, as she slowly breathed in and out.

“Thank you. Wear _formal_ clothing, we will be going out for dinner in one of Atlas’ best restaurants. The General has a table reserved and I so happen to be able to schedule dinner for the two of us, if requested. I am sure that he will, given… _circumstances_.”

A look on her face that was dark, as her eyes looked at him again, a smile on her lips not as confident as it had been. She still glowed with his Aura as she breathed in and out.

“Mister Arc, you can let go now.”

He did, and she took a moment to step away. Winter straightened herself out, her cheeks looking a little flushed.

Weiss was looking at him with a look that was most certainly hostile, her lips pressed tightly together. He knew that look, as she was about to say something sharp and cutting, and he chose safety in retreat. It was a valid strategy.

“I should be getting myself to the showers. There’s another time for shepherding kids…”

He might’ve ran away a little faster, definitely a very brisk step. It wasn’t exactly proper, but… Weiss looked like she wanted to spear him on Myrtenaster and then grill him over a low-burning fire.

* * *

Weiss Schnee was many things, but _dull_ she was not. When her sister had gone on a date with the young man known as Jaune Arc, she had initially shown befuddlement and surprise, but there was that hint of repayment that Winter had spoken of.

The blonde had saved his sister’s life, most assuredly, by taking the attack to the assassin who had been trying to slay her, undoubtedly on the orders of Cinder, the woman who had pierced her with the spear made out of flame.

Seeing her sister and said blonde in a spar made her feel a stab of something that she didn’t quite recognize. Her older sister, prim and proper and protocol-conscious to the extreme, offering a taunt to the young man and beating him in a manner that befit a Schnee was as expected. She did not feel a small dash of envy, no. It was just a little prickle as he got up again.

Winter didn’t look very happy afterwards, and it must’ve been because of their date. Her sister had returned back to the dorm she had late, and Weiss did not wish to wake her sister, so it was something that she would address immediately.

“Weiss, were you hit in the head at Beacon?”

_‘What?’_

There was a serious look on Winter’s face. Weiss straightened up a little, as her older sister looked at her, glancing at the retreating Jaune ‘I am going to be due for a helping of Myrtenaster Pain’ Arc. There was an odd look in her older sisters’ eyes.

“No… I mean, not that I know of, why?”

Her sister’s lips thinned, as something of a smile formed on them.

“I was just wondering what made you dismiss such a wonderful young man.”

She made a face. Jaune Arc at Beacon was the absolute _last_ person she would ever be seen in public with. Ruby frowned a little, as she answered nevertheless her sister’s question.

“He was hounding me for a week for a date! His singing is atrocious.”

There was an odd look in Winter’s eyes, as her lips formed into that half-smile that’d been so familiar during their childhood. Winter was amused.

“Persistence can be a virtue, Weiss. He gave up a chance to take my virginity.”

It wasn’t a topic that her sister would easily speak up about, but given that it was nearly seven in the morning, it wasn’t really prime-time for many of the Ace Ops members that were around. Surprise showed on her face.

_‘What?!’_

“He shouldn’t even have dared to ask for it!”

The words were out before the anger came. If Jaune Arc had dared to lay a hand on her sister, she’d tie him to a bed and use Yang’s shotgun gauntlets on his face! Probably with the help of Yang, though.

“He… didn’t. _I_ did.”

Her sister’s cheeks burned redder than she’d seen before, a look on her sister’s face that she’d never quite seen before. Hungry, delicate and with something in her eyes that bore that stress of becoming the next Winter Maiden.

“I _wanted_ him to. To feel what it’s like, to know… Before I’m- _reassigned_ to other duties. He said-“

Her older sister’s smile turned warm, as Ruby gasped. She’d never seen Winter smile like this. Weiss hadn’t either.

“He said that it would be a _mistake_ , that- That he didn’t want to _use_ me, to make you feel happy. That you don’t deserve to have a sister who has a bad time with- with someone who’s so _young_.”

_‘Well, he shouldn’t be sleeping with you anyways!’_

Winter was _her_ older sister! She was the best, she had a very high position in the military and she was the coolest and bestest older sister that she had! That Jaune Arc had even thought about putting his little Arc in her was a sin on itself!

“So, I’m going to go on a date with him again, because I still can. And-“

A soft laugh, much like Mother’s laugh of the dinner a few nights ago, came from her older sisters’ mouth.

“And I’m going to see what it’s like to have sex.”

_‘Jaune Arc is going to sleep with my sister. This is a nightmare!’_

Just like those nightmares that she woke up to sweaty and sticky, and most certainly not having to suffer teasing from Yang about moaning someone’s name. It was all a sleep delusion, after all! Yang moaned Blake’s name often enough! Weiss Schnee was pure! She most certainly did not think about Jaune Arc in any sexual way, no matter what Ruby said about that one time that they’d slept in the bed together and had to go and change the sheets. It’d been a nightmare and she most certainly had not kissed Ruby.

“You… do that, sister.”

Ruby started to squeak a little about how cool it was to see love blossom. It wasn’t love! It was pure animal craving, and Weiss Schnee knew what men were like! One moment, they were clumsy and dorky and the next you were pinned against a wall, telling him to choke you harder and give you his hot white love.

It most certainly was the cool air of the room that made her nipples hard. Most certainly. She was _not_ jealous of her older sister!

* * *

He prepared for the date by making sure that he was dressed in his best, the clothing looking as fine as it had, two days ago. He could feel the eyes of Nora and Ren on him, Ren having given him a look of understanding, his lips curving into a smile that never quite left. His best friend was happy for him, and Oscar seemed to understand as well.

“What was it like?”

It was an honest question, and he related about the date quietly. It had been fun, it had been dancing, some food, a quiet walk through the park. No mention of the talk late at night when Nora was getting scored many home runs in, or any memory of Pyrrha. Oscar was many things, but he was still the next host of Ozpin.

_‘When did I start to mistrust him?’_

The explosion at Saphron’s house, the feeling of anger, of being lied to about Salem and her goals…

_‘The maidens, the Relics…’_

He looked at the two remaining teammates that he had. A brother and a sister, to him. He tightened the tie around his neck a little, as he added a small puff of cologne to his skin, aware that it was probably needed. He looked in the mirror and smiled, hearing a knocking on the door.

The door opened and he beheld Winter, looking fashionable. Her makeup was slightly off, and he wordlessly guided her to the chair. Her mother must not have been able to teach her that, or the military did not really invest in such measures. Her hair was done up in her typical bun, a good thing. It made her look neat, tidy.

“Thank you, Jaune.”

Her use of his first name was a sign of trust, of showing that they were equals, even if their ages were not. She rose, stately like a queen of the old days, his eyes going over her body. A pale white dress, small gems woven into the fabric to lend it a shimmer, a cleavage that was deeper than he’d imagined before.

Comparing Winter to her mother Willow was definitely hard. He was getting hard too, just remembering what Willow had done and how Winter looked. She gave a little smile, offering her hand.

“Do I still get to leave the room, or will I be ravished here?”

He shook himself, trying to push the thoughts from his mind about her mother and focusing on Winter. Winter wanted a second date, and he’d give it to her. There was something in her way of standing, a confidence that seemed to have grown, something that hearkened back to his father’s saying of ‘all you need is confidence’.

“I don’t think we’d be very well-received by my teammates if we do that, Winter. Nora might want to watch.”

Nora’s eyes blazed, as she opened her mouth, Ren heading that off with a dash of his Semblance. He gave an amused look, as he shook his head slowly.

“Let’s go, Winter.”

Her hand found his, as they walked. It was companionable in their silence, as they walked through the halls of the Academy. Several students stopped to stare as Winter and he made their way towards the rented vehicle, emblazoned with the symbol of the Atlas military. It was a vehicle that’d been built to withstand combat, and Winter settled herself into the backseat comfortably, offering a space for him.

She looked more at ease than before, but something buzzed and hummed, and her eyes darkened again as she looked at the Scroll. A small notice was lighting up, the woman’s fingers tapping it. Numbers, something that he recognized as a heartbeat, came up on the screen and Winter just exhaled slowly.

“Still fine, good…”

He watched the worry flit on her face, but did not comment on it. She would tell, if she wished to. If she did not, he’d at least be there with her for the date. He had no expectations.

The restaurant was a pure white colour, the table that they were guided to residing within a personal room, the colours of the Atlesian military hung on the wall. He took the seat that belonged to the General, whilst Winter took the seat for non-General guests. He guessed that it was the seat for the General, going by the size of the chair. The man wasn’t short, and neither was Jaune.

“Atlas finest cuisine…”

She smiled, and he returned that smile. She looked hesitant, as the candle was lit by one of the serving staff. Her hands never left her weapon, paranoid for something to happen, a feeling he could understand perfectly. Ever since they had seen Cinder’s accomplice, they’d been on edge.

“Let’s make it a pleasant evening, shall we?”

She smiled, but there was something in those eyes, something dark and terrible to behold. A mournful sadness. He smelled the familiar scent of autumn, of ashes. He was back in the locker for a moment, watching as she sent him away.

_‘It was just a dream…’_

“Let us, indeed. Would you like a glass of wine, Mister Arc?”

Formal again, as she looked at him without even stopping her motioning for the server. A glass was filled with wine, something that Winter did not drink often, her fingers touching the stem.

“I’d love to.”

It was better than vodka. Her mother had taught him a few tricks when he was drunk, but it was still…

_‘Your mother is still beautiful.’_

He hardened in his pants, the strain making him mentally groan. He did not need an erection now, especially not with Winter present. He shouldn’t be thinking about her mother, but he should be thinking about _her_. She was his _date_ , she was the woman who took him out on one.

“I propose a toast, Mister Arc.”

She raised the glass, formally. Her eyes were still clouded, as they seemed to be ever since they had gotten to the restaurant, her breathing heavy for some reason as he raised it as well.

“To tonight, for the company that we bring each other.”

Their glasses touched, his eyes looking into her own. Fear and hesitation, something else and more whirled within her eyes. She was both more at ease and less at ease than before.

He sipped the wine, as he’d guessed was proper, but his eyes rested on Winter’s face.

_“Do you believe in destiny, Jaune?”_

The haunting question, as he looked at her and saw the smile come, as the eyes disappeared as she blinked, shining with that pleasant look again.

_‘She’s uneasy about something. Maybe something at work? Does General Ironwood plan to deploy her to Mantle?’_

It would make sense if he wanted to inspire the population with his own personal Aide to support them. The people of Mantle needed someone to look up to, someone who could be trusted. With Jacques Schnee as a councillor, they'd need all the help they could get.

“A Lien for your thoughts, Mister Arc?”

Winter asked and he realized that he’d gotten lost in thought. It was a different thing now, with this date. He wasn’t in a place where he felt comfortable, but he had forgotten to pay attention to his date.

“I was just thinking about how you looked a little stressed. It must be really tough, being a Specialist.”

He voiced his thoughts, and he saw the look in her eyes change. Something more than the semi-stern look that she adopted, as the servers brought their first course out. Winter had ordered for the two of them, something that looked like a hearty soup placed in front of him. He sipped it, tasting it for a moment, not feeling anything off about it. Ever since he’d had that encounter with the assassin, he’d felt uneasy…

_‘I’d better make sure that Winter is kept safe.’_

Aura could cleanse some forms of poison from the body, and he could transfer his own to her. She shouldn’t be worried about her health, as long as he kept his Aura nearby.

They didn’t really speak as they ate, Winter’s expression remaining in that formal and half-moody manner, her eyes glistening for a moment as she continued to check her Scroll. There was worry in her eyes, something that he noticed. A thick meaty dish was placed in front of them, smelling wonderful, Winter’s eyes looking up and finally speaking up.

“I may be a little too stressed, yes.”

She tried to muster a smile, but it never quite managed to reach her eyes. She looked like she was going to cry, as her eyes seemed to look at him and look so sad.

“If I’d met you a few years before…”

A wistful sigh, as she brushed a hand through her hair, loosening the bun that she’d taken it in. There was relief in her expression, as if something had finally clicked into its proper place.

“I’d be sixteen then. Not exactly a good idea to date a sixteen-year-old, Winter.”

He tried to make light of the situation, but she merely gave a sad smile. He shouldn’t see that smile, but she did not seem capable of recognizing that she was smiling in such a sad way.

“I was sixteen when I signed with the military. Strict, rigid discipline. No father to worry about. Just drills, the orderly conduct sessions and then to Atlas Academy.”

She looked sad, as her fork pricked one of the meaty hunks, the woman lifting it to her lips with a delicate expression on her face, softly shivering as she bit into it.

“All of that, gone now. And soon…”

Pain in those eyes. His hand grabbed her own, holding it. He pushed his Aura into her and he smiled.

“Don’t worry, Weiss is here now, and your mother seems to be wanting to help out too. You’re not alone.”

He knew that Weiss loved her older sister, Willow’s own stories of her daughters having shed light on their personalities when they’d been younger. The woman had been somewhat of an experience, but he felt for the girls.

“I… _know_ , Mister Arc. I _know_ that.”

She was afraid. She seemed to want to hide away, her eyes told him, as they flickered to every part of the room, but not looking at him.

“Trust me, I know that when things get dark and gloomy, I’ve got my teammates to rely on. The Ace Ops may be a little different, but… We’re here for you too. I’m here on a date with you, so… Don’t worry. I’m here, the rest of us is. We’re not going to let you face this alone. I won’t, that’s for sure. It’s a promise, and an Arc never breaks his promises.”

He tried to offer wisdom in the only way that he could. She looked at him with an indecipherable look, getting up from her seat.

“I need a moment, to go to-, to the bathroom. I will be right back.”

She dabbed at her eyes, and he knew that it was an excuse. She was emotional and she returned after nearly six minutes had passed. He had politely stopped eating his meal, waiting for her to return. Her makeup looked a little messy, but she was alright. She had cried, he guessed.

“Thank you, Mister Arc.”

He smiled at her. Sometimes, all you needed was a bit of help, some confidence, and perhaps a dress. The dance came to mind.

“Did I tell you the story of how I went to the Beacon dance in a dress?”

It was some interest in her eyes that he saw, as her eyes looked at him with that hint of wistfulness, something more.

“Oh? Do elaborate, Mister Arc. I seem to have missed such an episode.”

She didn’t seem as sad anymore as he distracted her with the tale of how he managed to convince himself that his partner Pyrrha would never be dateless to the dance, leading to him dancing in a dress. It had been a loaner as well, Winter’s modest laugh going for the polite response, as she watched him delicately.

The final course was something ice-cream-like, formed into a beautiful swan. She looked at her own, a wistfulness in her gaze.

“Sometimes, it feels like I am locked in a cage, Mister Arc.”

A soft and beautiful tone to her voice, as her spoon cut into a delicate wing of the swan, the sculpted ice-cream making a crisp sound, as she raised it to her lips. He saw half of the clipped wing sink into the cream that had made the bottom, the creamy liquid having apparently some sort of enhanced effect on the flavour.

Another wing moved, and he could feel that loneliness within her. He could see it in her eyes, he could feel it in her voice, as she spoke, straight from the heart.

“Never to be free again, once I am locked up. Weiss thinks that being in father’s presence is suffering, but…”

She looked _lost_. She looked at him with that question in her eyes, that question that he had seen in her mother’s eyes as well. Two women, a mother and a daughter, locked within a cage of their own choosing. A mother who could not connect to her daughters, who had taken his virginities and who had been trying again to be the mother that her daughters needed. Her daughter, a career military woman, a Specialist that was second to General Ironwood, serving the man’s military forces as his second in command, and so constrained by that role.

_‘You are yearning for freedom, to be set free again. You fled to the military in search of something, but you never quite found it.’_

Green eyes, a hesitant smile. Speaking of being put on a pedestal, isolated from others. It was like with Pyrrha, when she had been his partner, not the maiden candidate, not when he had turned his back and the Fall Maiden had been hurt.

_‘No, you deserve better.’_

It was a selfish thought, a horribly selfish thought that didn’t need any further explanation, but he grabbed her hand and squeezed.

“I’m here for you, on a date. I’m not leaving you and if your father comes, I’ll just make sure that he _leaves._ He has no power over you, and you are your _own_ woman. Weiss is _beautiful_ , she is assured of her own skill and she is _strong_. You’re like Weiss, Winter. Even _you_ deserve to see the beauty of the world, even if Weiss gets a little fussy when you make a mess.”

He smiled, Winter’s face looking at him with an expression that changed, as her spoon sank into the swan’s flank. There was hope in her eyes, something that made him be reminded of his own eyes, back at the days when things weren’t so heavy. Pyrrha had been alive, she’d been wonderful as a partner, before all of this Maiden voodoo came knocking.

“I really wish I had known you before, Mister Arc. I really _do_ wish that.”

It was sincerity, as she looked down at her spoon, her spoon raised again.

“But all good times must _end,_ and when Atlas calls, I _must_ obey.”

The swan’s neck was cleaved through by the spoon in her hand and he realized that he’d not even touched his own swan, looking at the frozen sculpture that stood there untouched. He slowly pushed the tip of his spoon into the breast of the swan, slowly carving out a small bit and pushing it into the cream that the swan floated in, raising his spoon.

“If you ever need me, I’ll come. Weiss is strong at times, but she would miss her older sister. You’re _not_ alone, Winter.”

Winter’s spoon sank into the swan, as he raised his own, tasting the sweetness. Her eyes looked a little misty, as she looked down, her lips twisting and twitching, her eyes closing. Pearly drops at the corners of her eyes, as she inhaled sharply.

_‘Look at what you did, Jaune. You made her cry.’_

“I _really_ wish that I had met you before the Fall of Beacon, Jaune. Finish your dessert. I’d… I’d like to go for a walk through the park.”

She seemed to crave a walk with him, even though her evening dress was not suited for it. Neither was his own, but they were together, they were armed and they should be able to be safe with the amount of military personnel that was scattered around Atlas.

“Of course. Whatever my date wishes, because she is such a wonderful woman.”

He’d grant her request, and her eyes sparkled like sapphires with a moment of genuine joy. It was a warmth in her that made him worry not for that sensation that he felt, knowing that there was only that briefness of heat before things changed once more to fill that gap.

_‘We’re all trying to lie to your boss about Salem’s true nature.’_

After Winter had shown the General’s card, they left. He didn’t inquire about payment or anything, knowing a moment where questions should not be asked, the small handbag that she wore at her side tucked carefully, as they took a quick transport to the park.

* * *

They walked for a short while until they came to a bench overlooking a fountain, Jaune recognizing it as the fountain where Weiss had fished a frog out of in Willow’s tale of her youth.

_‘She took you here many times, didn’t she?’_

They sat down on the bench, Winter looking at the fountain, a sculpture that was of a soldier and a farmer standing side-by-side, representing Mantle and Atlas.

“My mother took us here many times. She said that we should never forget where we came from, from humble beginnings, to great heights.”

Her voice was wistful, almost pleading, trying to tell the story and making it sound like it wasn’t what it seemed to be. He’d heard from Willow this story, but he didn’t think it wise to say it. A dumb comment might be enough, and he knew that Winter was someone who was firm in her conviction.

“And… And now, I’m _here_ , with a young man. Here at the fountain of unity, and…”

Tears came from her eyes as she sniffled. He wrapped an arm around her, as she started to cry. She couldn’t stop it, and he didn’t ask why she was crying. It was what they did in movies and in those cheesy drama’s, but he knew that she would be open with him if she could.

“I just wanted to come here, on a _date_. Show him the fountain and tell a story, a _nice_ story. Not a tragedy in the making, with my father on the Council...”

She looked at him, her eyes still wet, her tears crystallizing into ice, the air freezing it. They felt it not with their Aura, but the look on her face was heavy, laden with those emotions that only seemed to feel loneliness.

“One _last_ time. One last time, at least, and then- then the world will have _changed_. Weiss might be elsewhere, you may be gone and dead, and-“

It was fragility, as she started to breathe even deeper, her eyes closing. She seemed to be on the verge of breaking down, but she was being brave.

“I don’t want to run away anymore. I don’t want to be afraid and try to hide. I should be brave, but- But-“

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

He laid a comforting hand on her, as she leaned against him.

“I’m so _afraid_ , Jaune. I’m so afraid that the world will change when I am no longer here. I’m so afraid that Weiss will collapse, that I’ll- That I’ll have _changed_ into someone I am not.”

It was natural, that fear. He knew that he had changed, ever since his partner’s death. Winter was nervous, because of the battle that they had ahead of them. They were facing an immortal, someone who could not die and who wielded powers, controlling the Grimm…

“I’ll keep your sister safe. I’ve done it again and I would do it over and over, if it makes her live happily. I’ll keep all of you safe, even if it kills me.”

Her lips tasted like ice-cream and sweetness as she kissed him, her hands wrapping around him in a frantic embrace, her eyes closed as she kissed as if her life depended on it.

_Green eyes, red hair. A locker. Loss. Flame and death and…_

They parted, Winter breathing in deep. She looked tender, desperate and afraid. His hands brushed through her hair, no matter how dishevelled it looked. She was a beauty, someone who could only be called a beauty and nothing else.

“Winter, I-“

Her lips parted and she tried to say something, but tears came once more and she pressed her lips against him, her breath hot against his skin as the crystallized frozen teardrops patted against his cheeks, melting slowly. His aura wrapped around them as he inhaled her scent, the dress that she wore frightfully little to cover her, and his jacket feeling a little too much for him.

“ _Thank you_.”

A deep, breathy voice, her eyes watery and fragile, like the moment that her mother had broken and kissed him. It had been raw passion and alcohol, but this was not it.

“Let’s… Let’s head back, Jaune.”

As she got up, she looked at him with a look that Weiss would never give him. There was something in her eyes, a desperation and a craving and something more, something that was like a burning blazing hope that made him worry moreso than before.

His jacket was around her shoulders after a moment, her eyes showing surprise at the gesture. He shifted a little, boosting his own aura. He didn't feel cold, but she might.

“I thought you were a little cold. But I guess that’s just your dad, because I see that Winter isn’t as cold as she appears to be.”

It was a cheesy line, something that was fit for any drama, but Winter’s eyes grew teary again, as she smiled at him and wrapped her arm around his, her delicate fingers wrapping into his own.

“I love the season of winter… I wish I’d have more time to enjoy it…”

_‘Do you believe in destiny, Jaune?’_

They returned to Atlas Academy quietly, striding through the halls with a soft pace, and reached her quarters, Winter opening the door. She looked at him and then hesitated for a moment before speaking up in a soft tone.

“I’d like you to eat my casserole, Jaune.”

He couldn’t deny her that. The look in her eyes was hopeless and yet yearning with a hope that seemed to fade. The ‘Before you can’t anymore’ was silent, but he could tell from her expression that it was there.

“I’d _love_ to.”

He hesitated. He knew that there should be something and-

_‘Condoms!’_

He wasn’t going to do the wrong thing and forget the condoms. Winter was a career Huntress, but they’d been travelling in Anima long enough to know that birth control was important.

“Are you using contraceptives?”

She froze, a startled expression on her face. He closed his eyes. That figured, given that she had no experience with dating most likely, she’d not be on any, because of the hormonal shifts. None of the girls were anymore, Nora having bought a five-hundred pack of condoms in Mistral.

“I’ll get some condoms, okay? Don’t worry, I know my size. Just… just get comfortable and I’ll be back in a bit.”

She looked hesitant, but he was sure that he’d have to find the bathroom in the student dorms. He’d checked the bathroom out in this part during their exploration, but it’d been not stocked with a condom dispenser, as far as he could remember.

“I’ll… I’ll get ready then. _Thank you_ , Jaune.”

She smiled, a similar smile to her mother, her fingers brushing a strand of her hair out of her face, her dark eyebrows relaxed, her tongue sliding over her lips.

* * *

He found the condom dispenser and then fiddled around with his wallet a few times, finding the right amount of Lien chips. He put them into the slot and then felt a hand land on his shoulder, nearly jumping at the sudden touch.

“Spooked ya, didn’t I?”

He turned to see Neon Katt, who most _certainly_ should not be in the men’s bathroom, grinning at him. Her team leader looked a little embarrassed, shaking his head a little, half of his shirt off.

_‘Someone got lucky.’_

“Yeah, I needed some.”

Bright and cheery green eyes sparkled as she bounced a little, a glowing trail of rainbow particles following her tail as it batted back and forth.

“Ooh, ooh! Don’t tell me, don’t tell me! You’re going to do it with the hot blonde! I just knew it! Blondes always stick together.”

He shook his head, turning back and then twisting the knob, hearing the package fall down.

“Are you sure those are the right size?”

He shrugged. He just picked what looked normal, he guessed, for his size. It’s not like he _measured_ it, but this is what felt normal. You could trust your gut feeling.

“Haven’t worn them before, so I’m guessing yes.”

Neon turned to her team leader, who was busy trying to dry his shirt, grumbling something about needing to find a better teammate.

“You two, eh… have fun.”

The Faunus girl smiled and started into a minor word flood, but her team leader cut her off.

“You too. Give a good showing, just like you did before.”

Neon launched into an excited speech about something or the other as he left the two to their own devices. He hoped that they wouldn’t make a mess, but he guessed that it might just be something that they’d do for kicks. People were a little weird like that.

The condom package in his pocket felt a little heavier as he walked down the hallway to the room in which Winter was. He felt anticipation, as he looked around. He could feel the tension go through him.

His steps carried him along that familiar long alley, red hair and green eyes running away from him. It was her destiny, she’d said. It had been fate. It had been her destiny and he’d failed her.

_‘What would you think of me, Pyrrha, if you knew that I was going to take Winter Schnee’s virginity?’_

The Winter Maiden was safe, Ironwood had said. A little old, but still in a safe place and secured. Hadn't he said that she wasn't a spring chicken anymore?

* * *

He knocked on the door and he heard a hesitant voice call out with a soft ‘Who is it?’.

“It’s me, Jaune.”

She opened the door at a crack. He entered without saying a word. Nerves shot through him, worse than before. This was it, she was going to give him… he was going to-

She was vulnerable, her pale skin needing more sunlight, her hair loose, somewhat fluf standing there in a lacy bra that’d undoubtedly been selected for her by a well-meaning friend or colleague. The underwear that accompanied it had a motif of the Schnee family, and the room looked as tidy as it always had, the dress hung in a half-opened closet.

“So-…”

She hesitated, and he closed the door behind him. She looked smaller than the imposing and terrifying Specialist that he’d seen before, when she’d fought him. Fragile, tender. Her mother was passion, depression and something more. Winter Schnee was not her mother.

_‘You’re beautiful.’_

Hesitation on her face, as she looked at him. She grabbed the bra and seemed to wish to unhook it, but he stopped her.

“Is this what you truly want, Winter?”

A small, tiny nod. Her eyebrows showed more emotion than her face, as her eyes were despairing. She had been emotional.

“I want to feel _loved_ , at least once in my life.”

He smiled, trying to encourage her to keep positive. She wasn’t going to die, things were still positive. Even if her father was still around in the Council, he couldn’t immediately take control over the military as well.

“Then I’ll do my best. I don’t have much experience, but…”

He’d _fucked_ her mother. He’d fucked Willow Schnee in every single hole she had and he’d loved it. Winter, in comparison, was as pure as undriven snow, as she flushed a little, her cheeks burning but she was still smiling at him.

_‘I’m sorry Weiss…’_

“I’d like to have sex. With you, please? _Please?_ ”

Those pleading eyes were not a thing that he could resist, his hands tugging his shirt off, the feeling of the heat in the room against his bare skin as she came closer. Taking his unclothing as his affirmation, her hands laid against his skin. It was not a touch that someone who was in the military would give, more of a gentle touch as the fingers pressed against his skin and her body came closer.

She smelled like she’d taken a brief shower, like she’d done a little something to make herself smell _good_ , his hands laying on her waist, looking her in the eyes after he’d thrown the shirt to the side. His shoes came off second, the socks put in them already, put to the side, raised once more to his full height. She was smaller than he was, but no less beautiful than her sister and mother.

“I’m…”

He placed a finger on her lips, her eyes looking at him full of hesitation and something that was nervous and fearful. She was afraid of ruining the mood, of breaking the tension between them, as he gently pushed her back, steering her back, his hand guiding her as they got to the bed.

“Relax.”

The word came easy to him as he felt her warmth, could see her nipples poke against the fabric of her bra, her eyes hesitant and yet something more. She was vulnerable and she was afraid, but she did not have to be. His hand pushed up a little, a shiver going over her body as he reached her.

“Be gentle, please?”

A soft whisper, as if she’d expected that he’d be anything but. A smile, as he kissed her lips softly. She trembled, a quivering tremble that seemed to fade as the kiss lasted, her breathing normalizing. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she held on to him, the kiss broken, something in her face changing, more of a need that burned than the panic of new things.

“Winter, _relax_ , alright? We don’t have to go fast, we can just go as fast as you want to.”

Winter’s eyes looked at him and she smiled. The same smile that Weiss had, that her mother had, blossoming onto the older woman’s face. She sat down on the bed slowly, looking at him with her blue eyes looking upwards at his face.

“You are still a little too _dressed_ , Mister Arc.”

Her voice, tense and with that hint of authority, spoke, as her hands worked on his pants, the buckle opened and the light touches of fingers that were delicate and yet skilled, the zipper sliding open as she undid his pants.

“Let me… _explore._ I want to _see_ what a man looks like with my own eyes, I want to feel it at least once.”

It was a request he could grant, his hands having half-gone to his pants to assist her, as she slowly pulled the pants down. He stepped out of it, her fingers tugging a little, the pants folded in a swift and orderly fashion and then thrown onto a chair. Her folding technique must be a special skill or something, because it landed perfectly on the seat.

He was growing harder, the bulge showing clearly that he was growing more and more into this, Winter’s eyes looking at it as her hands placed themselves below, sliding with fingers over the growing length within.

She was fascinated, in that same way that Weiss could also be intensely focused, her breathing growing deeper and heavier with her cheeks flushing a little. As her fingers slid over the bulge, every little touch of her sent a pulse of something going through his length, the small motions making him shiver and groan. A burning inside his body, a need, yet she was not pulling his underwear down, taking her time.

_‘Relax, don’t rush. She doesn’t want it, she doesn’t need it. Don’t be a horny boy.’_

Winter deserved more than just someone who treated her like she was easy. Her mother had been his first, and Winter would be his second woman. She tapped against the head, her eyes looking up at him.

“Is it normal that it’s this big? I had- Mother gave me a _toy_ for my eighteenth birthday and-“

He shrugged. He didn’t know whether he was big or not, but Winter was someone that needed a moment to think it seemed. Her fingers hooked into the band of his underwear before she tugged it down, his engorged length standing there.

She looked impressed, as her eyes slid over the veins that bulged in his engorged rod. She put her arm next to it, making a soft mumble under her breath of ‘damn’ as her hand seized it at the base. The head of his cock was bluish purple from the blood that had swelled it, the foreskin pulled back.

“ _Magnificent_. I’m-“

She blushed red, as she swallowed deeply, her eyes glancing at him with that nervous expression. For someone used to command, she was shy and hesitant, his left hand touching her cheek softly and stroking over it, trying to find some measure of comfort for her.

“We can go slower, if you want. Why don’t you scoot up a little? I’ve got to do a little bit of exploring as well. I want to know what you’re like.”

She did as he told, laying on the bed. Her eyes followed him as he got on, the mattress visibly showing his presence. His hands grabbed her thighs and he spread them a little, her legs quivering a little from the nerves, as his fingers explored over the soft flesh, reaching her lingerie bottom and slowly tugging it down. She was hairless down below, where her mother still had hair.

Her mother had been an unexpected encounter, but he could see that Winter had groomed herself, the faint sight of dark pubes visible, showing that she probably only dyed her hair rather than her eyebrows. It made him wonder if Weiss’ hair colour was natural, or whether she dyed as well.

“Is something wrong?”

Winter sounded hesitant and he shook his head.

“Just thinking about something my sister said. She’s together with her wife and eh, she was _responsible_ for teaching me about pleasuring a woman.”

The reassurance was needed for Winter, as nerves made her jittery, his lips pressing against the cleft between her legs, the flower that would be despoiled by him later, his tongue slithering into her.

The high-pitched ‘Ah!’ sound that emerged from her throat was loud as she seemed to shiver and quiver at the same time, her legs twitching. He made sure that she wouldn’t do something erratic by grabbing a hold of her thighs, his tongue driving into her depths.

Another ‘Ah!’ came from her lips as his tongue curled, a strangled ‘ohgods’ from her lips. She was _wet_. His tongue curled and Winter’s hands grabbed his head, holding him there.

“Jaune, ah, oh, ah, eeh!”

That sounded good. His tongue curled and she gave another of those high-pitched ‘Ah’ sounds, her legs trying to shut.

“Jaune, ah, sensitive, ah, please I-“

He continued, as she shivered and quivered, the symphony of ah’s and oh’s continuing, her body trembling as he did what he thought was the best course to get her to get to that point. Her hands tugged at his hair as she continued to pant and writhe, her hips bucking against his face, his chin feeling a little numb from her bucking, as she leaked juices all over his face.

He was lucky that he didn’t have a beard because he knew that it would be something that’d get sticky with how she moved, high pitched sounds and a low groan coming from her mouth in a rhythm that moved by the conducting rod that was his tongue.

A little curl and twist and she gave a loud ‘AH~!’, before the tongue slid deeper and it became an ‘OH!’ and then, just as the finale came, she trembled and he found himself trying to keep calm as she came, his face wet, her body trembling and something not quite like talk in moan form coming out, her hands holding his head in place as she twitched and writhed, her legs slamming against his head as her hips raised and her groin twitched, falling down with a soft ‘Ah…eh… Oh.’

He looked at her, her flushed face still there, her bra still on but Winter currently not really in much of a state to be in. A wet spot was on the bed where she’d came, her eyes dazed and confused, her body looking like it’d ran a marathon, her full breasts straining against the bra. Her mother’s were bigger, he supposed, but Winter’s body was _toned_.

He went for the bathroom that’d come attached, grabbing a towel and starting to wipe up the fluids between her legs, before it’d soak too deeply into the mattress. There was something below it to prevent that, but Winter didn’t deserve to have a sticky bed.

“That was- Jaune, I-“

He smiled at her, as Winter looked with a heavy look, his own member soft due to the lack of attention that it’d gotten, but it was more than okay. Winter needed a gentle touch.

“Do you want to continue?”

He sat down on the bed and she got up, her hands unhooking her bra. He saw Mount Schnee and its twin Mount Schnee Zwei bounce a little as they were freed, the mounds of flesh making Weiss’ own pale somewhat in comparison. Winter had less of a rear end than her sister was endowed with, as the woman shifted a little, nervous.

“That was… That was the best orgasm I’ve had.”

She looked away, her cheeks red. “I… I _touched_ myself, thinking about you last night. I’m- This is special, Jaune. I want it to be special too for you. I’ve always felt like I’ve had to be better, like I’ve had to be the best, like… it’s what I’m supposed to do, because I want to avoid my father. I want you to feel good too, so I’m worried I’m not good enough. I don’t know if I can do what needs to be done, what- what I should.”

She shouldn’t be worried. It wasn’t as if she was going to die tomorrow.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

“You’re already special, Winter. You’re Weiss her big sister, someone who she looks up to. If not for you, there would be nobody else.”

Winter’s Scroll beeped with an urgent beeping and the woman looked in the direction of where it lay on her desk.

“I need to get that, Jaune. Sorry, it’s- It’s _work_.“

There was fear in her eyes, fear and doubt and more, something that-

_‘I’ve always felt as though I was destined to become a Huntress – to protect the world…’_

He remembered that afternoon suddenly, as Winter’s eyes scanned the Scroll. A feed of someone’s vital statistics, if he remembered right. The symbol of Atlas was next to it, with the clearance level of A, which was the highest level of clearance one could get.

“I’ve- I’m sorry, I have to take this call.”

She got up, her body language uncomfortable, mustering a smile, walking into the bathroom to have her conversation with whoever that had decided to call. He could hear a faint conversation as he stayed at the bed, letting her have her privacy. His eyes went around the room, the orderly arrangement of the closet and the weapons that had been set in the corner. Winter’s sword and dagger combination worked, he knew, from experience.

He saw the bathroom open and saw her emerge, her eyes a little redder than before. She looked worse, as her hands brushed over her body, trying to bring a semblance of control back to herself. She looked at him with a look that was like a woman about to drown.

Where her mother looked dark and gloomy and apathetic, Winter looked like she was afraid, trying to run away from a fate that was coming ever closer.

“Make love to me, please? Please? I can take it, just- Give me a _moment_ , give me your love, _please?_ ”

The desperation in her voice was thick as she closed the distance, her hand pressing against his chest and pushing him against the bed, her face so close as she kissed him full-on on the lips, her mouth against his own with that desire within it desperate. He could feel the faint whisper of something in his ear, a familiar mocking laugh.

_‘failure with a death wish’_

Cinder’s voice, her face flashing in front of his own, as he pulled Winter closer and rolled on top of her. Her eyes were looking at him, desperate, her lips pressing against his own in what seemed to be near-madness, her whole body trembling as she laid below him.

She was frightened, he could feel, trembling all over.

“Come on! Come on! Make love to me before the moment is over, _please!_ ”

She was shouting at him, her eyes tearing up. It was not a way to make love to someone, but he kissed her again. His aura pushed into her own body through his lips, her fear slowly subsiding as he squashed it with the warmth of his aura, her body slowly relaxing a little again, her hands rubbing over his own body, grabbing a hold of his manhood, his lips pulling from her own.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Winter. We can do this as slow as you want it to be.”

There was a flash of fear again in her eyes, but she squashed it.

“I want to _remember_ it, Jaune. Please-“

She didn’t finish her sentence, as he grew harder. Those pleading, fearful eyes, and that frailty of herself, thinking of her mother who had much the same moment. Willow Schnee was a different animal, captive within a marriage that she felt nothing but disdain for as well as apathy, but it was still her own way of caring for her family.

“I’ll put on a condom.”

He went to his pants and pulled the package out, pulling it over his shaft. It was a little different than a banana, but it worked. It didn’t feel too bad, though it didn’t reach the whole way down.

_‘Guaranteed to guard your iron wood, my ass…’_

She looked like a princess waiting for her prince, her eyes looking at him with that hope burning in them of a good conclusion, as her legs spread, her pussy laid before him, the lips parted slightly. She was still a little moistened from her earlier orgasm, but he scooted down a little, giving it a lick. She gasped and groaned.

“Please, put it in. I’m… Please? There’s just no _time_.”

She felt like she was burning up in his hands, Winter’s bosom swaying a little as she breathed in heavily, placing the head of his manhood against her vaginal lips, the labia slowly pushed apart. She watched, his eyes seeing the hard shaft contrasting with her pale skin.

“I’ll be gentle.”

She whimpered softly, his hips giving a little push. A gasp as the head pushed into her, the lubrication of the condom’s lube-coating making it slip on. Compared to her mother, Winter was _tight_ , her face looking like it was half-caught in that state of having the breath knocked out of her and wanting to shriek, her mouth giving a strangulated sound that was a little like someone trying to gargle and yodel at the same time.

“Come on, just- Ah!”

She twitched and shivered, and he hadn’t even gotten half of the head in. He kissed her on the lips as he loomed over her, supporting himself on the bed to keep himself in that position so he wouldn’t slip and then slowly pushed a little further, her pussy lips slowly sliding into her, her nostrils flaring sharply as her breathing seemed to become faster, as he felt the hot warmth of her sex wrapping around her. Her arms had wrapped around him, holding on very tightly.

She was whimpering, biting her teeth as she quivered and trembled, pained little gasps.

“Come on. It’s- you’re _big_.”

He looked at her face, her blue eyes looking a little teary.

“Do you want me to stop?”

Asking that was important, knowing that she would be able to stop this at any time was important for her undoubtedly. Communication was important, Winter’s head shaking quickly.

“N-no, please. Proceed, I’m just…”

She glanced down and her cheeks grew hotter.

“You’re bigger than expected.”

He grew even harder and she gave a shriek of something that might be pleasure.

“Do it, Jaune. Push it in.”

So he did. She was so tight as he pushed himself into her, his gaze on her face as he did, his hips giving a thrust. Winter’s eyes rolled up as he bottomed out inside her, feeling something yield a little and wrap around his manhood’s tip and Winter just went limp, her hands falling off him as her consciousness faded. She was tight around his manhood, and he could see a small bulge in her stomach where he’d entered.

_‘Oh shit.’_

He pulled his cock out of her tight depths and pushed his Aura into her, Winter’s eyes opening wide as she gasped, shivering once as she shook her head.

“Did it go in, I-“

She looked down at him and he looked at her, Winter giving a shudder, looking at the condom that looked like it’d been torn in half.

“Slower, I suppose. You sort of passed out.”

Her eyes looked at his manhood as he grabbed another condom, her lips firming into what might be one of the ‘Resolute Weiss’ looks, as she watched him put it on.

“Wrap me in your Aura. I want to _feel_ it. I want to feel _you_.”

He did, as he got into position. She was tight, but not as tight as before, feeling hot and warm around his manhood as he drove himself into her in a slower thrust, Winter’s eyes wide as she felt him. Her arms held on to him tightly as he reached that bit of resistance, her eyes telling him to do it, as her lips uttered soft hisses of pain, of pleasure and more. Her nails dug into him as he pushed more of his aura into her, driving himself into her, his balls giving a soft smack against her pale-skinned rump.

“It’s in.”

She looked at him and then kissed him, her lips soft and merely a fading memory as she pulled herself away, a slow exhale and inhale following the brief kiss, looking into his own.

“Thank you for taking my virginity, Jaune.”

It was a smile that Weiss could have easily had, a shy, fragile smile that made her look much younger than she really was. She was around twenty-four, twenty-five or something, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to have had partners… But he had taken her virginity.

“I’m… I’m just trying to do my best.”

Her eyes looked at him as she kissed him again.

“Move, Jaune. Give me that feeling of you moving inside me. It hurts, but… But it also feels good. Make me remember this in the morning, before I can’t remember it anymore.”

He saw the truth in her eyes. Tomorrow might bring death, or something worse. Whatever was planned, it was nothing in this moment, and yet…

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

She was acting like she was going to lose everything the next day. He pulled back and thrust into her, a keening sound coming from her lips as her head whipped back and forth against the bed, her hair splayed and tense, shivering and quivering around him, her pussy as tight as it could be and that clutching grip that it had at his manhood felt even through the condom. She wanted him to take her virginity, her kisses were of desperation and fear, and he didn’t know why.

_‘Do you believe in destiny, Jaune?’_

He moved, her buttocks lifting from the bed as he pulled out and then drove himself against her again, pinning her to the bed. It was a primal, animalistic need, as her moans reached a pitch and a feverish need, as her voice whimpered and pleaded, her pussy hot and tight and he felt good.

She quivered and trembled, her sex clutching at his manhood as he felt that need within build up, a soft groaning sound as she seemed to reach that climax, her nails driving into his bare back, as he froze up, letting her twitch and shiver, moaning something about remembering this, even when she was gone.

_‘No, you’re not going to be gone, Winter.’_

She arched her back, her breasts pressing against his body as he started to move again, his shaft throbbing, the head feeling a muted sense of pleasure due to the condom, nothing like the pleasure that he’d felt when he’d been with her mother, but he made love to her.

“Jaune, please… Please remember me as I am. Remember me and-

 _“I’m sorry.”_

It was a low moan that built up, Winter’s breath escaping her lips as he came, driving himself into her and pressing her against the bed, the condom’s reservoir filled with his ejaculate, the splashing gushes of seed coming as he felt the aura sputter and fade, holding on to her for dear life.

For a moment he was looking at her again, seeing her punch in those numbers and then fly away, her eyes holding that knowledge that she was never going to see him again but going to do the right thing for the world.

_‘Pyrrha, I’m the one who should be sorry.’_

It was wrong to think of his former teammate during a time when he was supposed to be intimate with someone else, but Winter seemed not to be conscious of his consternation, as she kissed him softly.

“Thank you. I’ll forever cherish the memory.”

 _“I’ll always be here for you, Jaune._ ”

She spoke as if she was dying tomorrow. Winter spoke as if she was going to die, to fade away into something like mist and ashes, and…

_‘Don’t say that.’_

He kissed her softly. It was not a kiss that held the passion, but rather the sorrow of him. Winter Schnee was a woman who craved the intimacy, who had bared herself and who had found herself desiring more.

“I’ll never forget you either, Winter. I’m… I’m glad that you think me worthy to be with you.”

She looked hesitant, as he pulled out of her. His cock was slowly growing flaccid, the large whitish mass of seed in the condom looking almost like an off-milk-like colour, the glow of his Aura fading from her.

“It’s… I’m…”

He tied the condom off and got up, walking to the small waste bin that he’d spotted earlier and throwing it in, a sound like a water balloon hitting the bottom audible, as he turned to her. Winter’s eyes were clearer, as she seemed to have a silly smile on her lips, her eyebrows relaxing, as her cool look seemed to have shifted to something that her mother could wear as her morning smile, a condom in her hand.

“Can we… do that again?”

He smiled at her and then joined her in bed again. He was hard within thirty seconds, somehow feeling like he’d never really ran out of energy, as Winter’s fingers pushed the condom into place, somehow knowing how to do so. She might have practised, or she might’ve remembered how he’d done it, but as he spread her thighs, her own legs parting like an eager woman’s, he watched her.

With her hair loose and her face relaxed, she looked ravishing. A beauty, Weiss’ older sister. Her mother was rather fetching as well, as Winter’s arms wrapped around him.

“Atlesian nights are rather cold, Mister Arc… I would like to… if you would? I would like your company, just for a bit longer. To… To feel like a _woman_.”

She tensed up as he entered her, her body shuddering, her head thrown back as she arched herself, a low ‘ah-kkkk-ah!’ coming from her lips, her eyes blazing with that same passion that Weiss also held. For a moment, he could see the woman that she was, free and unbound, unworried by the woes of the world.

There was something in those blue eyes that pulled at the imagination, past the feelings for her family, the strictness of her demeanour outside of a relational context. For now, she was just a woman, sharing her body heat with a young man who she had picked to be her first.

It was five in the morning when he realized that he’d half-fallen asleep, Winter’s body pressed against him. The covers had been wrapped around the two of them by his hands once Winter had simmered down from the high, the sounds that she’d made and the pain when she’d bit down on his neck in a flash of passion still rummaging around in his mind.

He would’ve been awake for a short while under normal circumstances, and Nora would’ve just gotten herself into the shower, sometimes with Ren joining in. He smiled softly, thinking of the two of them, Winter’s eyes opening softly and her lips parting in a small smile.

“You _stayed_.”

There was a fragile emotion in her voice, as she looked at him with those eyes watering, as if she was getting ready to cry. The alarm started to blare, as Winter’s head turned to it, pressing the button and shutting it off. She got up slowly, wincing a little.

Her Scroll rang and she answered it, wincing again as she shifted her legs a little. She looked a little out of it, her eyes a little slow in shifting a little.

“Specialist Schnee, you are late for the first briefing. Where exactly are you?”

_‘It might be best if I just quietly get dressed.’_

He should be reporting for a mission as well. The kids had to be picked up from school, after all. That was the ‘Jaune Mission’ for today, as Nora put it.

_‘Why does Winter act like it’s her last days as a woman?’_

The question haunted him, as he remembered the woman who she had been at that night, the eager, despairing woman who wished to love.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

Pyrrha’s voice haunted his thoughts as he got out of bed.

It would be another day at work, as Winter answered the General’s questions.

* * *

**Well, this has 100% more smut than before. You can see that she is conflicted, captive like a bird.**

**Next chapter's gonna have some more Winter.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like!**


	5. Winter's worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter Schnee, the morning after and the next date... and the consequences of some earlier happenings.

**Another chapter for you all to enjoy!**

* * *

He dressed himself, taking a moment to freshen up in the bathroom, a very brief shower whilst Winter did whatever she needed to do in preparation for her workday. She’d been marvellous, but the moment where she had broken down in the park haunted him.

_‘Why would you wonder if you’ll get to see another winter?’_

He looked at his reflection in the bathroom, his face clear. He could hear Winter shuffling around, the door to the bathroom opening and her staggering in. She moved a little wobbly, her legs not quite steady.

“Can you help me get into the shower? I’m… I’m afraid that I’ve got some trouble walking.”

She looked beautiful, her eyes deep blue and desiring, as he turned the knob for the shower, supporting her. She could feel his Aura wrap around her, healing the pain away, but her body seemed to not recover as quickly.

“Thank you for… For last night. It went… It went better than expected.”

She gave a wince as he turned the knob and the hot water hit her, shivering. Her nipples peaked as she straightened, leaning against the wall, her hair plastering to her skin. She smelled of their coupling, of sweat and sex, but that wasn’t important.

“Do you want to go out on a date tomorrow?”

She looked at him, hesitation in her eyes. She was afraid, she was something more than afraid, her hand grabbing a sponge and rubbing it over her body, trying to wash herself clean of sweat for the day that awaited her.

“I’m… as long as there is time, I’d _love_ to date you, Jaune.”

It was a genuine smile, but he felt sad for some reason. He felt a deep feeling of loss, as if he were looking at someone who had given up, Winter’s eyes closing as she stood under the spray.

_‘Do you believe in Destiny?’_

Pyrrha’s voice curled in his ear, as if it had been a siren’s call. He looked at the older woman as her eyes opened and she smiled, girlish and womanly at the same time. Different from her mother, who was despair and depression and a deep love, uncertain and fragile where her younger sister was bold and defiant.

“It’s… it’s funny, you know? I had this dream that we were- that we were all done with this, this whole thing. When the world returns to normal, and I won’t be locked away anymore.”

He grabbed her hand, not minding the fact that his sleeve was getting wet, his smile encouraging her.

“You’re as free as a bird, Winter. You’ve got the second-highest clearance in the country. You don’t have anything to stop you.”

She looked sad, but she didn’t look at him anymore. He offered her a towel after letting go of her hand, the woman letting him towel her off. Her curves looked even better in the light of the early morning, her soap smelling wonderful, as she looked at him with tender eyes.

“A… You’re a _good_ man, Jaune. Weiss would be happy to marry you, given what-“

She looked away, pain on her features as she turned away. The mirror did not hide her expression, as a bitter and pained look came to her face.

“I’m here for _you._ Don’t say it as if you’re going to die, Winter. Weiss needs her older sister to keep her safe… So keep her safe, alright?”

The blue eyes looked into the mirror, as she turned to him again, a sigh coming from her lips. Her dark eyebrows looked like they were going to be set in that worried look as she moved, wincing again.

“I don’t think I can move quickly. Do you think you could do me a favour and go over to my closet and fetch me the uniform and underwear from the second shelf?”

He nodded, exiting the bathroom and leaving her there, getting her uniform. He noticed her Scroll laid on the bed, the sheets still crumpled, the status of someone’s heart monitor visible. It wasn’t any of his business, but he filed it away.

“Here.”

She winced as she stepped into her underwear, her body aching from the sex that they’d had. He didn’t know why she was still hurting, Willow had felt fine afterwards.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry if I was a little too rough, I-“

She placed a hand against his chest and he stopped, her eyes looking at him as a smile played along her lips.

“You were _magnificent,_ Jaune. I’m- I’m sorry, I-“

She dressed in silence, never quite saying what she felt sorry about, her uniform back on in a swift and methodical fashion. He opted to keep the tuxedo shirt on and the pants. He’d get a change of his clothing after he’d visited the dorm. It was still nearly six in the morning and Mantle was a short ways away by transport.

“Can you support me? I… I really don’t think I can walk.”

Embarrassment in her voice as he wrapped an arm around her, a staggering and jerky stride, her groin seemingly the problem. Had he really hurt her that much? She’d passed out, and that’d been scary.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you hurt.”

She winced in pain, her body hurting apparently, the two of them going to the bed where her shoes stood. He could see the look in her eyes change, feel the pain in her.

“I need to- I’ve got that briefing, but-“

She didn’t seem capable of walking very far. She would be a liability if she was sent on a mission, and he didn’t want her to be hurt. He looked at her and his gaze firmed.

“You’re going to stay here, and I’ll inform the general that you’re not feeling well. I’m not letting a woman who is so magnificent be a liability. I’m _worried_ for you, Winter. Get back in bed and write a note or something, and I’ll bring it. If General Ironwood needs something done, he’ll have a Huntsman in me, no matter what it is.”

She looked doubtful, checking her Scroll once and then nodding. A pad of paper was pulled from below the bed as well as a pen that’d been clipped to the pad and she scrawled something on it in an elegant script.

_‘Personal request for a day of leave due to feminine issues.’_

That was a good excuse. He smiled at her, as she handed it to him, a flourishing signature below the request.

“You’re allowed to take a day off. We’re _all_ going to be there tomorrow, I promise.”

She looked afraid, wincing a little as she shifted a little.

“Can… Can you kiss me? I’d… A going-away kiss, for my- for my-“

She didn’t want to say the word boyfriend, but it was more than what mere friends would be. He knelt on the bed and gave her a kiss, her hair loose, looking at him with that tender expression as their lips met. There was a definite desire in her to do more of this, to kiss and to be loved.

“I… Thank you, Jaune.”

She smiled like a broken bird, her eyes so sad that he kissed her again, pressing her against the bed, feeling his heart bleed. He wanted to take the sadness away, because she _shouldn’t_ feel like this.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

She wasn’t resisting, her tongue pressing against his own as the kiss deepened, her breathing through the nose heavier as their tongues dueled against each other like live snakes, her arms wrapped around him. It would be easy for him to get himself into bed with her again, if his morals were less, but he wanted to make sure that she was alright.

She looked so fragile as she gazed up at him that it almost made him think he was kissing Weiss, her hair loose, her lips half-parted. They opened and closed for a moment, the small click of a tongue, as something was said without words being vocalized, her fingers stroking through his hair.

“If I’d only met you _earlier_. I’m… I’m going to get some rest. Please inform the General that I will be taking sick leave.”

She was formal again, but he had seen that look in her eyes. She had loved being with him, she’d loved the kiss that they’d shared earlier, as he leaned down.

“Let’s go dancing again tomorrow, Winter. I saw how much you liked it.”

She gave a soft smile, a wetness at the corner of her eyes. Without another word from her lips, she turned away, the sign of not wanting to talk anymore there. He knew that he should go, but he leaned over and kissed her cheek gently.

“I’ll always be there for my friends, Winter. You’re one of them to. Whenever you need me… I’m there, goofy Jaune Arc. Tomorrow will come and we’ll have fun.”

She didn’t respond, his hand grabbing his weapons from the ground and clipping them onto his pants, hearing a soft whisper of ‘But what if tomorrow never comes for me?’ that he thought might just be a mirage.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

He felt burdened as he walked towards the briefing office, the General’s office the only place suitable for that. As his feet carried him there, he caught the eyes of some of the people. He looked out of place, a little more than anyone else. He was wearing half a tuxedo, the shirt having been crumpled and messy. Not exactly attire that he’d wear without any sort of reason, but he knew that he’d get a change of clothes when he swung by the dorm.

* * *

He knocked on the office door, hearing the swift call for him to enter, spotting the Ace Ops lined up, looking at him with a fading expectation, the General behind the desk looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t think that I’ve got a mission for you this early, Mister Arc. Whilst enthusiasm is definitely a plus, I was actually expecting Miss Schnee.”

He handed the slip of paper, the man looking at it for a moment and then giving him a second look.

“And it seems that she will _not_ be joining you on today’s mission, ladies and gentlemen. It seems that she has called in sick.”

He definitely got looks now, and the General chose not to make a mention of the fact that he’d been the one to bear the ill news.

“You are dismissed, Mister Arc. Thank you for bringing this message to my attention.”

The man’s screen was on display, showing an older lady on a video screen, someone old enough to be his grandmother or something. The woman looked like she was on her last legs, her health fading as did her vital statistics.

_‘She doesn’t look like she has long to live…’_

“I’ll be back later for a mission, General. The kids need their Huntsman to get them to school and back again safely.”

The General gave a tense smile before he was dismissed by the man, the image of the old woman playing through his mind. There was something familiar about that image, though he’d never seen the woman before. What could make this old woman so special to warrant a live video feed?

_‘Is she the General’s grandmother?’_

He hoped that the woman had a little more life in her, the man was stressed enough as it is. The conversation started up again. “heart problems, and we will have to continue on without Specialist Schnee now to-“

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

* * *

He opened the door to his dorm, coming face-to-face with Nora, whose eyes seemed to be brimming with that manic energy, feeling her hug him in a powerful hug-tackle. He stood tall, as Nora clambered up his body like some over-energetic child, which, at least he could affirm, was most certainly not the case.

“Jaune-Jaune! You’re back from the hiding place you’ve been in! How was your date?”

He remembered Winter’s face, he remembered the kisses that they’d shared. Something more in his mind than just a mere release, and…

_‘Why are you so sad? Why do you think that tomorrow never will come, Winter?’_

He didn’t understand, it felt familiar, so familiar that it was like he’d experienced it before. He could feel the taste of something on his lips, a set of green eyes staring at him as someone whispered at him that she was sorry, but it was gone.

“She was… She was great. I’m- Do you think I can change clothes, Nora?”

He didn’t know why he felt sad, Nora letting go of him, opening the door for him and giving him a look. He walked into the bathroom with his armour and a fresh shirt to wear below it, as well as the warmer under-jacket that made him feel nice and toasty in the chill.

“What’s wrong, Jaune? You were… You were looking really sad. I don’t like it if you’re sad, Jaune.”

Nora was trying to offer her own brand of support, even with him dressing, no teasing comment or anything, her hand rubbing through his hair. It wasn’t like Winter’s touch, it was much more benign rather than desiring, but he couldn’t understand.

“I’m… She keeps on saying that she wants to experience what it’s like, telling me to make sure that Weiss is alright and- and I don’t _like_ it. She’s wonderful, she’s an experience and- and she acts like she’s going to _die_.”

Nora’s eyes looked concerned, as he vented a little, the feeling inside him welling up, as he looked at his reflection, leaning against the sink. He wasn’t going to be too emotional, even with Nora rubbing over his back.

“I’m… I want her to smile, without worries. I want her to be happy, because she _deserves_ to be. I _like_ her, damn it. I like her and she’s wonderful, like Weiss but older, but she’s convinced that she might die any day now.”

Nora made a soft shushing noise as he looked in the mirror. He remembered the feeling of loving Weiss, of wanting to have her as a girlfriend. A stupid little crush, something that hadn’t ever gone further. He had made love to her older sister, he’d fucked her mother. Winter had said that he’d make Weiss happy to marry him, but-

_‘She should be alive to be there, if it’s in the cards for me! I am not going to give up on my friends!’_

Winter was suicidal, or so it felt. There was just that hoping dream in her eyes, as if she had given up on living for the future. She was at times so warm and open that it made his heart ache, and on others, she was as silent as the grave, as… as if love meant nothing for her.

_‘Do you believe in destiny, Jaune?’_

He could hear the echo of Pyrrha, remembering how she must have felt. Had she loved him just like how he felt? Torn between her duty and obligation? When Cinder had killed her, a void had fallen into his heart, leaving him only with that pain of the loss of his partner and his best friend.

Nora was saying something and he was crying, looking at his expression in the mirror, Nora’s hand on his back. She seemed serious, as she whispered comforting words in his ear, his emotional outburst too much for him, taking a deep shuddering breath.

_‘What would you think of her, Pyrrha?’_

He hoped she’d have liked Winter. Winter was a woman whose passion and love for her kingdom ran high. There was only the faint burdening hope inside him that it would be a little better, a shivering sound coming from his own mouth.

“Jaune… I’m with you and Ren is with you too. We’re still JNPR, even if Pyrrha is gone. We won’t let anything happen to our glorious leader. You _a_ _re_ our leader, not Ruby. She can tell us whatever she wants but we’ll only listen to you.”

He remembered his paranoia. Nora had been keeping an eye on Oscar, the host of Ozpin. The whole deal with the maidens and the stupid Relics was just bullshit anyways. He sometimes wondered whether Ruby had any sort of tactical awareness at all.

_‘We’re just kids trying to play at a game for adults.’_

He might have his Huntsman license, but that didn’t mean that he had the access that experienced Huntsmen did. He knew that he had much to learn still, but there was always the threat of something going wrong and making him lose another member of his team.

“It’s okay… Look after Oscar. He’s a good kid.”

Nora’s eyes firmed, and he remembered the talk that he’d had with her before.

* * *

_“Jaune, are you okay?”_

_Anger went through him as he looked at the sash, remembering what he’d just heard. The door creaked and Nora came in, her voice sounding gentle, calling to him._

_“It’s just… How can we trust him on his word? It could be all a lie, there to deceive us. Pyrrha believed him and now she’s dead.”_

_Nora’s touch was light as she hugged him from behind, Ren coming in as well and shutting the door behind him. Jaune looked at the sash in his hand, a part of his outfit ever since she’d died._

_“Nora, keep doing as you’ve been doing. I’m… I’m not trusting Oscar anymore. There’s too much that he’s hidden from us, Ozpin, Ozma, whatever…”_

_She gave a soft nod, understanding, Ren’s expression conflicted. He looked at his brother from another mother, his eyes careful to meet his friend._

_“The silver eyes… Weiss Schnee, heir to the Dust empire that her father built…”_

_It was wrong to be paranoid, but he was certainly not going to let the thoughts slip from his mind. Salem couldn’t be killed, but that didn’t mean that Ozpin could be killed either. He’d been suspicious for a while now, but hadn’t voiced it. It was all too convenient._

_Oscar appearing when they needed guidance, being cooped up in the house. He knew that the child, if it even was a child, was acting different than any fourteen-year old._

_“Blake’s parents were in the White Fang, leaders or something… And then we’ve got Yang, who is Qrow’s niece and Ruby’s sister. Four girls from parts of the Kingdoms that are put on a team together, and… And Pyrrha.”_

_She had been magnificent. She had been understanding, patient and loving, caring for him even though he wasn’t anything good. She’d sacrificed herself for the world, to keep the power of the Relic out of Cinder’s hands._

_“Jaune, that’s-“_

_He looked at Ren, who doubted him. He’d gotten in by lying through his teeth, faked documents that showed he’d gotten in legitimately, falsified… but Ruby had gotten in because she’d been at the right place at the right time. She’d told him about the offer she’d gotten…_

_“Too convenient. If I had to dominate the world, I’d want to have the Faunus on my side. A popular ex-leader, the daughter who was involved with the White Fang, related to the leader of Menagerie. A Schnee, rich and affluent, able to move the world with Dust. Ruby was fifteen. She had silver eyes and is strong, but- Her sister is related to Qrow, Ozpin’s man.”_

_Nora looked at him and tried her best to keep smiling, but she looked depressed, as Ren laid a hand on her. There was much feeling in his words, his eyes looking at them._

_“Do you really think that it was ‘destiny’ that made Pyrrha sacrifice her life? I’m… If he’s supposed to reincarnate into someone who wants to save the world-“_

_It could’ve been him. It could’ve been him that would have been saddled with Ozpin in his head, feeling his personality fade away. Pyrrha might’ve broken that with her kiss, freeing him from the spell and the mindset, because she’d kissed him and made him lose his hope._

_“Keep an eye on him. If he turns bad… I will not let any of you become another Pyrrha Nikos. She didn’t deserve to be sacrificed like a pawn in a chess game.”_

_Nora and Ren nodded. It was understood between them now._

* * *

He watched the mirror, noticing that the tears hadn’t stopped. He felt empty, as if he’d just cried out the worry from his heart. He knew that there might be a good explanation for this, Winter being worried that she’ll pass away on a mission. She was older, she was more experienced. There was always danger around…

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

There’d be a different reason for her fear, there would need to be a different reason. General Ironwood had said that the Winter Maiden was safe, didn’t he?

_‘Perhaps she’s just trying to fit me into her schedule? She’s trying to find something to love, before she’ll be like Maria?’_

“I’ll make sure that he’s a good boy.”

Nora looked at him with eyes that were grim and determined. The moment that Ozpin came back…

_‘Sometimes, you have to do things you do not like. A pawn sacrificed is worth it… And sometimes, the king needs to be checkmated.’_

* * *

Weiss knocked on the door to her sisters’ personal quarters, waiting for the door to slide open, Winter located in her bed. A flash of nervousness went through her, as well as worry, her older sister currently in a Scroll chat with someone.

“Good morning, Weiss.”

_‘She’s blushing.’_

Weiss came close enough to see the face of her mother on the video feed, showing clearly that Winter was in a call with their mother. The older woman looked amused by something, as a glass of what seemed to be something non-alcoholic like fruit juice was raised to her lips.

“Good morning, Weiss. Have you slept well? Winter most certainly _has_. Remember, let the muscles relax just a little and take a hot bath. And… Just relax, when you’re taking it in. It wouldn't do for you to be... unlady-like.”

Winter was red in the face, running a hand through her hair as their mother shut the call off, Weiss sitting down on the bed next to her older sister. It had been a long time since she’d seen her sister with her hair down, her older sister’s eyes looking with an inquisitive look at her.

“I heard you took a day off. Was it… Was it fun? Yesterday, that is.”

A wistful smile, as the tears came from her older sister’s eyes, leaking down her cheeks. Her sister was getting emotional, the tensions running higher.

“It was so wonderful. I’m… I _can’t_ get out of bed. He sprained my muscles and it was _wonderful_. Weiss, when I inherit the Maiden’s power…”

Her sister’s tears came in greater volume, dripping down her cheeks, her eyes looking desperate.

“Kissing him is like coming home and feeling the warmth of his love. He’s… _Promise me_ , Weiss. Promise me that you’ll love him, when I’m _invested._ It’s… I wish I didn’t have to. I want to _travel_ with him, to see his smile as he looks at me and points something out in the distance. It’s so much _fun_.”

Weiss didn’t know what to say. She felt like she was crying too, but that wasn’t normal, it wasn’t like… It wasn’t like she felt anything for him. She most certainly did not feel her heartbeat race, not even one bit. She might feel that warmth in her groin, but she’d had breakfast. It’d been nice bread, chewy but nice.

“And… And when we made love, I- Weiss, I’m…”

Her sister’s smile was radiant, her eyes closing as she did. Weiss could smell the different scent, a man’s scent, something that she’d barely noticed. Winter’s eyes opened again, a warmth in her eyes as her hand stroked over her sister’s cheek.

“I think I’m in love. I don’t want it to end. I _don’t_ want to- to _fade_. I’m so afraid. I’m so afraid that when I get the power, that I’ll forget about things. She’s no longer remembering her name, but the power within her is strong.”

Weiss watched her sister pull her closer, her eyes noticing that there were tears from her sisters’ eyes, leaking into the blue of her clothing. She should be out on a mission soon, but she’d been concerned for her sisters’ health.

“Winter, I- Enjoy him, okay? He’s a good young man, and- and _better_ than I’d thought he’d be.”

Winter’s soft exhale was loud in her ear as her older sister came to hold her tighter. The feelings inside her didn’t stop, her heartbeat thumping a steady pace. She felt her older sister tighten that grip, trying to hold on.

“Tell me… Tell me about his team. There’s one missing.”

Weiss grimaced. Talking about Pyrrha was always a tough subject, so she’d best make it a thing that she’d be tasteful about. She'd heard from Ruby that he was still struggling a little with the death.

“His partner was lost at Beacon, fighting against impossible odds. She made sure that he was safe, confessing her love to him before she sent him off into the distance in a rocket locker. He doesn’t like to be reminded of her. We all lost people at Beacon…”

Her sister looked pensive, before she nodded. Her sister was smart, she’d know that it was not a subject that came up easily with the team that’d been called JNPR once upon a time.

“I’m… I’m getting taken out on a date tomorrow.”

Winter smiled at her, her eyes looking warm and sisterly again, a hand brushing through her loose hair, her eyes glinting with those barely hidden secrets, her smile a little smug, as she hugged her a little tighter.

“I’m going to have sex with him again. I’m… He’s so _big_ , Weiss.”

Her sister let go and parted her hands a little. Weiss thought it was a little too big, but Winter seemed to adjust it a little, looking into her eyes.

“Mother said that… that it’s perfectly normal when your boyfriend is a bit larger than average, to blackout. It…’

It was girl talk. Blake didn’t talk about the time she’d been with Adam, and Weiss had the sneaking suspicion that Blake had lost her virginity around her sixteenth. It wasn’t fair. Her sister had _sex_ with Jaune.

“Take care of him, okay? He’s…”

Her sister fell silent, as the tears dripped onto the bed. Winter’s eyes closed, as her head raised to the ceiling, to the sky far above them.

“It was just a quick way to _do_ things, to experience things, but I just _had_ to fall in love. Sometimes, I wonder if the Gods _hate_ me, because I just-“

Her sister sighed deeply, her eyes opening and the tears dripping down her face as she shivered, trying to keep the tears from her and failing.

“I want to _live_ , Weiss. I want to see the sunrise in the morning with him, to feel him wrap an arm around me and- And…”

Her sister was being silly. After she’d become the Maiden, there would be a chance for something like that. Winter looked at her, her lips pressing into a grimace of pain.

“We’ll… We’ll have to get you a date with him too, Weiss. It’s for the best that he’d… That he’d find another to love. Mother is… She’s getting better. I’d like to stay in contact with her, when I’m...”

_‘That sounds like you won’t be free anymore.’_

“Winter, I’m-“

Her sister’s eyes were sad, as she looked at her. Weiss felt a shiver go down her spine, that look on her face turning into worry, as her sisters’ eyes turned sadder.

“He gave me a kiss goodbye, just like as we were dating. Like… Like he was _there_ for me, and he said that he _would_ be. He’d be there for me, because I was one of his friends. Weiss…”

She could understand that perfectly. If Jaune Arc said something, he’d make sure that it happened. He was a dumb lunk with hair that looked perfectly messy and needing a combing, his neck needing kisses and licks and little teasing smooches, not letting him rest until she was properly bouncing on his hard thick-

“Promise me that you’ll look after him, even if you don’t like him.”

_‘I’d look after him even if he didn’t give me those weird feelings.’_

Winter’s eyes were desperate, as her older sister implored her with that look, Weiss’ hair shifting a little. Winter smiled softly.

“You will, won’t you? He’s… He’s lucky to have a friend like you. We’ll probably go and have a date again, and- and he’ll take me dancing again. He’s- If only I’d met him at Beacon and seen what a man he was. Mother approves of him too. She said that- that we should go for coffee at a lounge and to bring Mister Arc again.”

Weiss could understand that. It was a certain type of charm that grew on you, once he’d given up trying to woo you with bad singing. She was a singer herself, so she knew pitch and the like, and it’d been _horrible._

The hot dreams of him crushing her against the bed, his lips against her neck and holding her tightly were most certainly mere fancies. She did not like the young man, no matter the fact that she’d touched herself to him. With the close quarters proximity, it was only natural that she take stress off her shoulders, and he was the only eligible young man around. Ruby might complain, but Weiss Schnee most certainly did not like Jaune Arc, not one bit.

She had not had a dream about seducing him at his sisters’ house, to be coming home to Atlas with a little Arc growing inside her. It was a cute baby, Adrian, and it was most certainly not the inspiration for a hot moment under the shower, when she’d just managed to suppress the shriek at seeing a mouse in the shower. She had _not_ moaned his name, no. It had been a _mouse,_ even though she’d never _seen_ one before. A _mouse,_ and not a _moan_. She wasn’t some lewd girl that wanted to be unable to walk in the morning like her big sister.

“He’s charming, isn’t he? I wish you luck, Weiss. He’ll make you feel like a princess. I- I don’t _want_ to give him up to you, but I will _have_ to. Atlas needs me, Weiss. If I am not the one, _then_ who?”

Weiss knew. She’d keep her sisters’ secret. Ruby didn’t even know yet about the Winter Maiden, and she’d kept her sisters’ secret close to her chest. Nobody needed to know, lest someone found out. The assassin had been trying to kill Winter, so…

“Enjoy it while you can, Winter. It won’t be so bad, right?”

She hoped that she would.

* * *

As the last of the children went into the school building, he noticed the muted colours that some of the ladies wore. The lack of any sort of treat or anything else appeared, the blonde woman named Casey giving a subdued expression.

“Is something the matter?”

He asked, his voice soft as he spoke, the woman’s head looking a little morose. He wondered what was wrong. It wasn’t like her to be subdued.

“The funeral is today, Jaune. Marzie and Terry are getting buried.”

_‘Oh.’_

“Anything in particular? Were they caught in a Grimm attack?”

He didn’t know much, but he’d missed them a few times, but figured that they’d just have been keeping at home, what with the stresses of the people coming here. It was a softness in the blonde’s eyes, something a little more subdued.

“No, they- they were victims during the Hill Election celebration that turned into an assassination. When the robot girl went crazy, we- Well, they didn’t make it.”

He looked down. He’d been at the movies, not wanting to do anything with the whole election thing. People he knew had died. They’d died and it’d all felt like it was nothing. The pain inside his body didn’t change much from that sensation of numbness, as he looked at the woman, who saw his glum look and tried to muster a smile.

“They liked you, y’know? It’s silly, but- Gods, I wish we’d have the safety again, ever since the wall fell and the General’s been working on whatever…”

He looked down, balling a fist. He could’ve gone to the party too, he could’ve been there to _help_. A hand on his shoulder jerked him from his thoughts and she was close.

“Don’t blame yourself. I’ve seen that look, I’ve- My boyfriend had that too, before he _passed.”_

She tried to make him feel less guilty about the dark emotions inside him, remembering the faces of those he’d failed. She stroked over his armour, somewhat forlorn in her look.

“Well, I guess it’d be better to make sure that I look presentable. We’re… They’d have liked it if you came. Their kids loved you.”

He nodded. It was the least that he could do for the ladies.

* * *

Jaune watched as the coffin was lowered into the incinerator, the hurt faces of the children who stood there in unity showing the despair that came from the loss of their mother. He felt bad for them, as the group of mothers tried to keep their faces calm and reasonable, as someone spoke some words about hope and love.

_‘What do hope and love mean, when you’ve lost things.’_

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, many of the victims of the attack at the celebration of the election of Robyn Hill that’d gone awry burned, the ceremonial furnishing starting already, as the faces showed their dark despair over time.

A child was crying, and one of the mothers rubbed its head. He’d be seeing the girl again, the adoption having been made, according to Casey. It was a shame. He had seven sisters, loving them all dearly as he should.

“No casserole, this time.”

He heard the words and felt the glumness settle in, his eyes looking at the women as they gathered around their children, Casey looking apologetic. He wasn’t going to do anything with the women as it was, because it wouldn’t have been fair to Winter. Winter, the woman who fought to keep these things from happening, who was drowning in her own despair.

_‘If there was a way to cure things…’_

He would’ve done so in a heartbeat. He knew the pain of loss, greater than anything else. It wasn’t like the brief pang, but deep.

“Want to come with us? Just- just for a moment, just to raise a glass for them?”

Jaune nodded. It was a fitting send-off to them.

He saw many things that afternoon. The bitterness of the women who’d lost a friend, the anger in them about the situation with Mantle and General Ironwood, the Dust Embargo, the sight of one of the women breaking down when it finally hit her. Drinks were shared and drank. He barely felt it because of the numbness, the women not daring to make a move out of respect for their deceased friends, not now. Casey seemed almost pained, as she said that she’d go to check on the kids, returning with a glum face.

All that remained of the mothers was ashes. Ashes and dust, not even the faintest trace of their life. It was all gone, fading into the memories of those who remembered.

_‘It’s a shame…’_

It shouldn’t _be_ like this. Something had to _change_. He hoped that the Amity Communications Tower project would be coming along fast, so they’d give the world hope again through communicating with them once more.

He staggered a little as he walked for the exit, a loud sobbing coming from behind him. A hand wrapped around his waist and he saw blonde hair, before he felt lips on his own, the woman’s eyes misty and dewy with the sadness.

“Stay. _Please?_ ”

He shook his head. He had obligations. He had things to do. She understood, somewhat. A sad smile on her lips as she drooped off.

“I’ll… I’ll be there tomorrow, again. The kids need to have something to look forward to.”

He’d do his best. A familiar face might be just what they needed, and he’d do it, no matter how much he’d initially complained about a mission like this.

_‘I’m not going to disappear that easily.’_

He had a duty to fulfil, a duty that he’d do his best to keep doing. She leaned against him, starting to sob, his arm wrapping around the woman, guiding her to the bedroom. She’d need her rest, and he caught her daughter looking at him with sad eyes. He tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach his mouth, merely giving a small nod.

To a child, it wouldn’t have been very high on the list of priorities, but to an adult who’d lost one of her friends, it would be.

He put the woman into her bed after getting her clothing properly off, the woman curling up. She’d drank pretty heavily, and he departed after making sure that the others were still somewhat functional. The mood was heavy, but they’d be at the same spot in the morning, waiting for him.

_‘I’d like a family one of these days…’_

He was back at Atlas Academy in an hour’s time, stepping off the transport with a heavy heart, his eyes catching sight of Ruby and Weiss dragging themselves back from another transport, waving at them.

Ruby waved back as Weiss merely gave him a sharp look. He didn’t have to guess why she’d be upset with him. She was undoubtedly not very approving of Winter and him, especially not now that they’d sort of slipped into what could be called a relationship of sorts. It had been two dates, but she’d been…

_‘I think she’s great. I wish she wasn’t depressed though…’_

He could hear a faint echo of a question in his ears, a soft whisper that he denied ever to exist.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

* * *

It was _not_ fair! Weiss Schnee did _not_ lose, especially not to her older sister! Seeing her sister dance with Jaune, their clothing radically different, her sister’s own little expression one of genuine enjoyment making her feel a pain deep inside her, as Ruby looked a little out of sorts.

Of course, they’d decided to follow the two. She couldn’t let Jaune out of her sight, because who _knows_ what he might do to Winter. Why, she could’ve been the one being dragged into some dirty, dingy toilet stall and told to open her mouth, his hard cock pushed into it and-

“Weiss, are you hungry? You’ve got a weird look on your face, I can get something for you if you’d like?”

_‘A big hard stiff- No, focus! You’re here to make sure that Jaune doesn’t do anything with your sister that’s untoward!’_

“I’m _fine_ , Ruby. We’re here to follow them and make sure that Jaune doesn’t do anything untoward. Get… Get me some nuts, or something.”

The image that came to mind was… definitely nothing like the small clips she’d seen on the net, no. It wasn’t something that only the crude lewd dirty girls would do for their boyfriend or their partner, nope. Weiss Schnee did not imagine such things, nor did she think that it’d be a nice thought to experiment a little. She'd never admit it aloud, no. 

She was a Schnee and they were better than the others. Seeing her sister’s loose hair and her smile as she danced with the blonde boy that Weiss might have to reluctantly admit was pretty fetching, in a manner like a brother, yes, like a brother, totally not like the man who was going to make her bed collapse and make her scream like some sort of harridan with low impulse control, right!

_‘Yes, and… He won’t get her. If he forces her, I’ll be right there and-‘_

The thought was stark and made her flush. There was certainly a wild thought there, and it most certainly didn’t make her feel warm below her collar. She wasn't _weird_. She was... It was a fever thought. She must be having a fever, and she must remain composed. It was hot inside here, of course.

“Hey there gorgeous, here for a dance?”

She looked at the low-born pond scum with a goatee that came at her, her lips thinning as she regarded him. Nearly twenty-something, maybe a little older, dark brown hair, utterly unappealing. She preferred blondes, taller, broad-shouldered, nice blue eyes and a big hard shaft to give to some naughty Schnee princess locked in her tower.

“I’m afraid I am waiting for someone.”

His hand was on her side, entirely too intimate for her liking. Her hand grabbed his wrist, as she coolly regarded him. Her lips pressed tighter together, losing their colour as her grip increased.

“I’m _waiting_ for someone. That means I am _quite_ occupied, thank you for the interest, but I am _not_ interested.”

A polite, curt dismissal. She glanced at her sister, currently leaning against a wall. It was an expression on her face as someone approached her and her lips moved, the curt dismissal making the guy droop off.

“Now don’t be like _that_ , honey. You’re pretty, so what do you say?”

_‘I say, No.’_

She saw the anger on his face at her refusal, a flash of her father’s face coming past her mind’s eye. He’d always shouted at her, and she shrank back.

“Let’s dance, and let’s see where that leads, doll. Come on.”

She couldn’t use force against a civilian, especially when there was a problem with how Atlas-born Huntsmen were seen by the Mantlean crowds. She could feel him touch her side, the simple top that she’d worn suddenly feeling less safe than anything else, as she looked for Ruby.

“H-hey- I’m w-waiting for s-someone.”

She didn’t want to, as his face turned angry. Her father’s face flashed in her mind’s eye again, and he started to pull her towards the dance floor of the club. She wanted to flinch away, she wanted to get away. He might hit her.

“Hey, I don’t think she wants this, buddy.”

The voice of someone came and the guy was spun around, Jaune’s face looking placid but also with that look that she’d remembered from the time that he’d healed her up. She watched as the guy looked like he’d been annoyed by Jaune’s sudden interference, the fist balling and striking out, Jaune catching it easily.

“Now, how about you just leave and give the girl some space, huh? If she doesn’t want to, she doesn’t want to.”

She’d used some makeup on the scar to erase it, her hair done up in a bun, much like her mother and sister would've. It was more Winter’s style than her own, but she knew that she could pull it off. Many people had white hair in Atlas, it more of a cultural vogue when it’d been her grandfather at the helm of the company.

“I’m not going to let some pussy tell me what to do, I’m f-“

The Huntsman license that was displayed on the Scroll held up in the guy’s face shut him up, as Jaune let go of the fist.

“We’re not making an issue out of this, buddy. Leave the girl alone, or I’ll make sure that you go home with a few more bruises for attempted assault on a Huntsman.”

He was domineering, gentle and kind, as she felt uncomfortable, the guy drooping off, Jaune tucking his Scroll back into his pocket.

“Have a good night, miss. I don’t think he’ll try anything again, but we’ve got to keep on going onwards, right?”

_‘He doesn’t recognize me?’_

It might just be the radically different outfit, or the different hairstyle and lack of scar, but he didn’t seem to recognize her, joining Winter again and taking her to the dance floor. Ruby, who had appeared all of a sudden again, joined her.

_‘Jaune…’_

“What was that thing with that guy? Jaune came on over like he’d been bitten in the butt by a Beowolf, and he’d made the guy disappear.”

Weiss Schnee was not an ungrateful child. It was not ungrateful to think about something that might be construed as a reward.

“It was… Well, he wanted to dance and I did not. You could’ve been faster, Ruby.”

Her best friend and partner gave an adorable pout, even as Weiss looked at the drink in her hand, held out. She took it and drank it, feeling the fizz go through her, her attention disappearing from Winter and Jaune.

_‘I should have rewarded him for saving me.’_

A little thank you, possibly with her body in his arms. It would be… _pleasant_ , to feel his arms around her as he received her thanks, their sweaty bodies laid together as she felt him stir to life once more. It wasn’t something _abnormal_ to thank your saviour.

_‘Winter is lucky…’_

She finished her drink, checking for Winter again, Ruby starting to talk about the long lines, grabbing her partner and friend’s arm, watching her sister depart the club through the side exit.

“Weiss? Shouldn’t we like… leave them be?”

She wouldn’t let him put his hands on her sister! He should be putting his hands on _her!_ She should be tamed like a shrew and become someone like a goddess in his mind!

“We’re following them! Who knows what he’d do to her! He’s still Jaune and she’s still my sister.”

She’d make him feel what a professionally trained singer could do with her throat if she had her shot at him! Those singing lessons were definitely good for something!

* * *

Pushing open the door nearly five minutes later and looking around, the smell of bodies and sweat and alcohol replaced with the smell of Mantle’s many different scents, she spotted Jaune leaning against a wall further ahead, near a dark corner of the alley, the darkness obscuring a few parts of him due to the night-time that’d fallen. Ruby bumped into her, and she wondered briefly where Winter was. Did he go ahead, and was he waiting for her?

He was making the funniest face she’d seen, a half-agog look, his mouth half-opened, and she spotted him making some sort of sound that seemed to be a half-gurgle, the sight of her sister nowhere to be seen. She neared a little closer, hearing a gasping groan, as his hands moved in the darkness, and the slow-moving rhythm of that motion, as his face went through different expressions of ecstasy. It brought to mind hot thoughts of need and a very funny feeling in her groin, wanting to see him make those faces due to her tender assistance.

Ruby gasped as a passing car’s light flashed and Weiss watched her sister on her knees, her lips most certainly occupied with a different activity, his hands half-tangled in her hair, his utterances a little breathier and needier, as her sister’s lips were getting closer to the base of that shaft.

_‘It’s like a third arm… or a leg.’_

She didn’t have the greatest imagination about lengths and shapes, but she could see that hard shaft sliding into her sister’s mouth easily, her sister’s expression shrouded in darkness, but that brief flash of light having illuminated the features well. Lust, craving, a hint of something more as that cock disappeared between her lips, a soldier on her knees before someone who'd been the weakest of the Huntsmen class that came from Beacon's first-year students.

_‘Ah…’_

A shudder went through her, as she imagined it being _her_ there, giving some _thanks_ to her rescuer. It wasn’t _fair_ that Winter got that, and she watched as his hands jerked her head, and the loud choking and coughing came as he bent forward, Winter’s head planted in his groin, the woman’s hands visible against his chest, trying to push back as she was choked by that hard shaft, like some sort of needy bar-wench from the tales that her mother had stashed behind the fairytales.

_‘I’ll gladly do that, Jaune. You don’t need to worry about a gag reflex with me.’_

“We should _go,_ Weiss.”

Jaune started to apologize, as Winter pulled herself up, groaning softly something that might be a curse, though she’d never heard her sister utter one.

“I’m so sorry Winter, you were just so great, I just couldn’t…”

Her sister’s soft laugh as she audibly swallowed a few times, slowly getting up and brushing herself off.

“I’ve got some casserole in my quarters… And I expect you to eat it all, Mister Arc. This was… this was an _appetizer._ We shouldn’t let my casserole grow _cold,_ right?”

She looked at Ruby and they were out of the alley ahead of them, to avoid getting spotted. She thought that her sister might’ve glanced in her direction, but the buzzing in her groin turned into a hum of pleasure, slowly amping up that need.

They got back to their dorm and Ruby shifted awkwardly. There had been complete and utter silence on the trip back.

“Say… That was kind of- I mean, I don’t want to say that it’s not normal, but… but-“

She looked at her partner and best friend and knew what she was going to be asking. She felt horny. Ruby looked at her and there was a moment of consensus amongst the partners.

* * *

Five minutes later, Ruby’s tongue was exploring her own depths as she was busy with scraping out Ruby’s, in a moment of madness, undoubtedly. The moans that her partner made were like a soft music, as her mind went to that sight of her sister on her knees. The tongue continued to lick and slurp, as she drove herself into her partner, Ruby’s body quivering a little. The tongue inside Weiss froze as Ruby shocked and quivered, and Weiss wondered briefly just how sensitive she was.

“Ah… That was _great_ , Weiss… Now, let me get you off.”

There was a shudder as Weiss felt that tongue stroke over the sensitive parts of her anatomy, a shiver that slid through her whole body as her hips bucked against Ruby’s face, rearing her body up a little as that tongue explored.

“Helloooo there, boredom babes! How is it here, in the land of the stuffy and the sisterly?!”

The door opened up and Yang entered with her boisterous self, Weiss’ head hitting the underside of Ruby's dorm bed, as Yang seemed to freeze up, Blake running into her partner, as Weiss threw a look back at Yang, Ruby’s tongue not quite stopping, as Ruby spluttered something.

“O-oh. Y-you’re -… you’re busy. I’m… You must’ve been changing, I’m- Blake, let’s go get something to drink! Yes, yes, give them a moment to get dressed for bed! I’m- I’m sure that they’ll like a drink too!”

Mortification and something more slid through her as Yang closed the door again, Blake having given her a look and a thumbs-up, a low moan coming from her lips, showing just how agonizing this moment had been. She’d always been the one who could be trusted, but to be caught with her pussy resting on her partner’s lips and Ruby diving into her with her tongue…

_‘There’s a new level of shame that I have achieved today…’_

Her dreams would feature herself and Winter on their knees in front of a blonde in a dirty alley, Ruby’s tongue diving deep into herself. Yang had dismissed it all as an illusion brought on by too many bug Grimm hunting expeditions, apparently, because her little sister couldn’t be so sexually awakened as to do something like that with her partner.

She checked her Scroll in the morning, finding a message from her sister.

**‘Did you like what you saw last night, Weiss?’**

She turned red after reading that, and she most definitely did not have an extra cold shower. She did not touch herself either, no. It was all an illusion, and Ruby most certainly did not wish to mention their little stress relief! They were new Huntresses, they were most certainly _not_ teenagers in need of sexual relief!

She was not some sort of slave to infatuation!

* * *

He looked at the sleeping woman in bed with him, their course having brought them to her room once more. He’d bought a twelve-pack of condoms at the store, four of them used tonight. She was gorgeous, beautiful and delicate. Dancing with her had shown her beauty once again, as he’d only parted with her for a moment to make sure that a girl was alright, being harassed by some guy who looked like he’d be up to no good.

There was always more to be done, as he grabbed Winter’s Scroll and pressed her finger against the strip to unlock it. He wanted to check her schedule, seeing whether she’d have a moment free later today.

_‘I want to take you out for dinner again, Winter.’_

He glanced through her itinerary, spotting the ‘morning briefing about the status of the person of interest’ with a ‘Visit to Fria’, pushing the button and sliding it up a little. He saw several of the meetings that she had to attend, spotting a small section with ‘leisure time’ and something that was called ‘preparations for WM’, yesterday having had ‘Date with Jaune’ for the schedule for the evening, a new addition, if he read the colour coding right.

Out of curiosity, he scrolled through the entire week’s list, and a notification message came up, stating that the heartbeat was a little irregular. He pressed it, getting a live feed of a room, the same woman that’d been on the screen at General Ironwood’s office appearing to be busy with making herself a cup of tea.

_‘She’s the older lady on General Ironwood’s desktop…’_

He supposed it was nice that Winter had to check up on the old woman, if the General was too busy. The whole business with the Relic of Knowledge and their escape from Argus was still something that he worried about, and-

He caught sight of a machine in the corner. His breath caught in his throat, as things started to click. Winter’s hopelessness and despair, the eagerness that she had to do things… As if it were the last days in her life that she could do them.

A conversation outside, nearly two years ago, hesitation and fear. Uncertainty, and he had been _stupid_.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

Green eyes and red hair looking at him. The machine, broken. He’d failed. She’d died. He’d failed and she’d died and she’d pushed him in a locker so he would be safe, because she _loved_ him and- and she’d-

He looked down at Winter for an instant and then pushed the program away to the background, the image returning to the schedule, as he looked at Winter’s sleeping form. Her hair was loose and splayed over the pillow, her arms half-clutching him as if she expected him to leave her, wanting to stay with him.

_‘No… Not again. Not again. Cinder is here, she’ll…’_

Winter was going to become the Winter Maiden, and she was going to become the Winter Maiden soon, if he’d read the medical statistics right. The Winter Maiden was dying...

_‘She’ll die, too… Just like Pyrrha’_

* * *

**He knows.**

**Poor Jaune. Sometimes, knowledge comes at a terrible price.**


	6. A bad party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knows! Weiss has a dilemma... and more Schnee stuff! Cookies!

**He found out!**

* * *

He looked down at Winter, watching her sleep the sleep of innocents. In a few days, maybe a week or two, she would be blazing with power, the Maiden’s power inherited by her and she’d _die_. That’s what _happened_ when Cinder Fall was around. He remembered Weiss being impaled again, over and over, his dreams filled with that pained gasp and her falling, knowing that it’d been to hurt him, all to make the pain shoot through his heart again and again as he roiled in torment.

 _‘First Pyrrha, and then Weiss and now Winter…_ ’

He kissed her on the lips, her eyes opening with surprise, as he wrapped his arms around her softly. His body pressed against hers as she made a surprised sound, kissing her even harder after he heard it, her eyes widening, before he’d pulled back and looked at her and spoke from the heart.

“I love you.”

Words that he’d not spoken often, spoken now, as her eyes turned darker and there was emotion, as he held her a little tighter, kissing her neck passionately. For the moment, she was still alive, but she would not be when Cinder came after her.

“Jaune, I-“

His mouth found her neck and kissed and nipped, sucking on the skin, a soft groaning from his lips coming, as he bit down, wanting to keep her safe. She wouldn’t die on his watch, he would never let someone die, if he could help it. He didn’t know, but he would make her be safe and stay safe.

“I’ll _never_ let you go, Winter. You’ll _never_ be alone without me.”

He wasn’t going to let another woman die because of Fall, because of some _stupid_ power that only women could have. Whatever Ozpin had done to the original Maidens, it was _wrong_. Winter was surprised, but her lips found his neck in return and she exhaled softly. A pitiful, heart-tearing sound came from her lips, as she kissed him on the neck, sucking on his skin and probably leaving a hickey, his hands holding her body in a comforting grip.

“Never, I’ll _never_ let go of you. You’re the woman I like.”

She seemed to struggle for a moment, as her fingers found his chest and rubbed over it, his eyes looking at her as blue met blue, the Schnee woman’s eyes moistening, as the feeling surged within her, her lips pressing against his, and her lips pulled from his own.

“I’m _not_ going away and leaving you. I _want_ to stay with you.”

It _wasn’t_ a lie. He could see in her eyes that she wanted to, that she was struggling against her fate.

Ashes and fire and dust. Feeling how Weiss started to live again, pushing her full of his Aura. Those golden eyes and that terrible rage.

_‘No, they’ll never make a statue out of you. I’ll make sure that you’re safe!’_

“Don’t say that. _Don’t_ make promises that you can’t _keep_ , Jaune.”

Her voice was a whisper, as the tears came from his eyes and he kissed her again. He felt the pain crush his heart and blow it to full size again, before another crushing weight hit it. She stilled below him, the alarm blaring suddenly, but that was hardly the problem, as his mouth locked with hers.

Pushing against him, she gave him a soft mournful look, before their lips separated and she inhaled softly.

“I have to get ready for my work, Jaune. I… I _appreciate_ that you feel those feelings for me, but-“

_‘She wants to cut things off.’_

He knew that she had her job to do, but he didn’t want to see her in pain. He grabbed her arm, trying to convince her _not_ to do this. His eyes pleaded with her, trying to make it so that she wouldn’t leave him, that she wouldn’t make him feel like this pain was real and raw, not stopping for a moment and feeling the shivering shudder go through her as she did.

“Winter, I-“

She placed a finger onto his lips. It was a moment where she seemed human, where her feelings were raw on the surface. She didn’t want this, but she spoke resolutely… or at least as resolute as she could.

“N-no, I… I _can’t_ be your girlfriend. I- I work for the Atlas Military. Relationships are-“

She _lied_. Pain was written on her face as she dismissed him with a soft apology, delivered formally as if it were orders, watching her as she got up from the bed, the numbness inside him continuing, as the shower started to run and he was left in the bed, looking at the spot where she’d laid.

“You should go… I… I’ve got to do my morning briefing with the general, I- I’m _sorry_.”

He looked at her, and found that her eyes were teary again, as she looked at him with an expression that told him that she did not wish to say these things.

“They were- They were _nice_ dates, but I don’t think we’re _compatible_.”

Her expression told him more than what he had ever wished to, seeing her eyes hurt as she said that. He grabbed her hand by the wrist, feeling the racing pulse below his fingers.

“Winter, I’m not-“

She pulled away with a jerk, almost scared. Her eyes were looking moist, as she gritted her teeth, her eyes a little more distant.

“It was just a _fling_ , Mister Arc. It was- It was a moment of stress relief. Please, do _not_ bother me during my work. If you wish to train, please inquire in the morning tomorrow as to whether my schedule allows for it.”

He looked away. It was rejection and he felt pain, as he got up and dressed silently. He heard her breathing in that way that she did when she was trying to fight her emotions, her breathing a steady heavy rhythm that continued to increase.

“I… I guess we’re over and done now.”

The words hurt to say, and he could hear her breathing quiver. She didn’t respond, and he turned to her. Her features were as if they were sculpted from ice, set within that state of being frozen in a professional appearance, but her eyes told a different story.

_‘You’re afraid, aren’t you?’_

Pyrrha had been afraid as well. He’d been so afraid for Weiss too, and he moved without intending to, walking to her and giving her a hug, which she tried to avoid, his head resting on her shoulder. He still smelled like sex and sweat, but he wanted to hug her. She trembled in his arms and he could feel warm droplets hit his shoulders.

“We’re _not_ in a relationship, Mister Arc. You were quite a pleasant partner, but our lives are _not_ aligning. If you want it, I can reimburse you for our dates.”

She trembled and quivered, the wetness on his shoulder continuing to be added to, but her face was as frozen as an icy window, looking at him, the tears leaking from her eyes. She trembled and quivered, speaking those words with her typical business tone, but never quite surrendering herself to the emotions.

“I’ll _always_ be there for you, Winter. _Always_. I’ll see you later, possibly. I really loved seeing you smile, because you are one of the most beautiful women I know.”

He pulled away, seeing nothing amiss on her face of ice, looking as if the tears hadn’t come, her body in perfect balance and control, her eyes looking at him as if they were carved from ice, the uniform that she wore as pristine as it always was.

Jaune turned around before his own tears came hotly again, looking into the mirror that’d been installed in her closet and seeing the façade crack behind him. Her hands were half-raised to her face as her expression showed her torment, but he didn’t turn his body around to comfort her. She was damned by the games of Ozma and Ironwood.

“Have a nice day, Winter. I love you. I... I want you to _know_ that. I thought I had a chance, but… But I guess I was just a little kid. _Thank you_ , and- And I will be there for you if you ever need me.”

He shut the door behind him, hearing a choked sob that tugged at his heartstrings, breaking many of them. He wanted to go back into her room again, he wanted to comfort her and then to make sure that she was alright again because she didn’t _deserve_ to be another sacrifice to this eternal war, to keep her _safe_ …

* * *

The tears came from his eyes as he walked along the path towards his own dorm, the General passing him by, the man taking a moment to look at his face and then stopping him with an arm before his chest, Jaune stopping automatically and looking to the General, whose face looked grave and important.

“Is something the matter, Mister Arc? You look… _emotional._ ”

He looked at the man, his hand rubbing over his face, wiping the tears away. He had to be _strong_ , he had to be a _leader_. If the man could control Atlas’ military, then he would need to see a leader, rather than a sad young man who wept openly.

“We broke up, sir. Perhaps it was a bit too much for me to hope that Specialist Schnee and I could be together.”

The man gave an understanding look, as the man’s eyes looked so empathetic and understanding that the feeling of lying to the man about the questions of the Relic and its answer felt like a bad decision.

“Sometimes, our lives draw us on different paths. My former love is now Beacon’s Headmistress, and we have parted due to our _differences_ in opinion. Specialist Schnee will be reassigned soon, once the project is completed.”

_‘Once you’ve cursed her with being a Maiden. She will wilt, General.’_

His face showed nothing of the upwelling of anger within him as he looked at the man, giving a tense smile, trying to keep his emotions from going haywire.

“It’s okay. Weiss said no when I asked her on date her as well. It’s _just_ like I’m back at Beacon again.”

The General offered an encouraging smile, patting him on the shoulder, the soft paternal touch familiar, yet unfamiliar as well. He was condemning Winter to death by Cinder and the man looked like his heart was made out of the iron that had given him his surname.

“You don’t have to take the missions today if you are emotionally compromised, Mister Arc.”

He shook his head, looking away. The children needed him, and he would _not_ let them think that he wasn’t coming again. He’d save them if there was some Grimm loose in the city, if he could.

“I’ve _promised_ I’d be there, the kids need a familiar face.”

He didn’t stop with his missions because he knew that the children needed him. In a time of loss, when there was nothing to stop the world from turning to darkness, he would _not_ give up. He would be strong and he’d keep on going.

“A bit of a shower might be needed first, Mister Arc. You smell a touch… unpleasant. I will see you later for your mission.”

He gave his best look of understanding, making haste to get to the dorm again. He opened the door and saw Nora standing there, looking like she was just about to get ready to wake Ren up. Oscar was still passed out in his bed, a soft humming from Nora in the air.

“Hey Nora.”

_‘She’s going to die…’_

Winter’s face flashed in front of his eyes, as Pyrrha’s face replaced it. There were no rocket lockers here, but the woman he seriously had feelings for had just said that it was over and done with.

_‘She’s going to be the maiden and Cinder is going after her…’_

“ _Jaune?_ Jaune?!”

He walked into the bathroom as Nora’s alarmed voice spoke and started the shower up, shedding his clothing and putting it in the hamper, uncaring for the fact that Nora was looking at him, that she’d followed him into the shower. The tears came in greater numbers, as he got under the spray. The water continued to flow, as his tears mixed with it, mourning the feelings of his heart being crushed once again.

“Do you want to talk, Jaune?”

He felt her arms wrap around him, holding him tightly, heedless of the fact that he was naked and she was not, her head laid against his back, making soft shushing noises, her voice trying to make him feel like it wasn’t all bad in the world.

“Winter and I are no longer together.”

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

His fist hit the wall, his face set in a snarl, anger going through him as his fist hit the wall again and again, an angry, pained sound coming from his throat, as the tears didn’t stop. He felt the pain but his Aura healed him up quickly, the dull thwacks of his fist hitting the wall loud in the shower.

“I’m sorry, Jaune, I-“

He turned around, looking into her eyes. Her sharp aqua-coloured eyes were set in that emotional manner and there was something of pity, of empathy and care in those eyes.

“She’s going to be like _Pyrrha_.”

Nora’s face lost it's colour, as her eyes widened, a frightened sound emerging from her throat. They didn’t talk about it around Oscar, remembering that pain of losing their teammate. _Nobody_ really talked about Pyrrha, but Nora understood. Ren understood as well, silent and stoic as he was.

“I- I checked her Scroll, wanting to see whether she’s- I _saw_ and-“

It was happening again. It would happen again and Weiss might be dead for good this time, Winter _would_ be dead. You _couldn’t_ stop Cinder Fall because that bitch was just thirsting for the power that she thought she had earned…

_‘It’s all going to be going up in ashes because of one stupid bitch with a desire to be strong…’_

“I’m- I’m _sorry_ , Jaune.”

The water dripped down onto her, and her shirt was see-through, as he saw the door to the bathroom open and Ren come in. The closeness that he had with Nora was just something that was a fact, as his friend looked at the two of them, not speaking much and coming closer.

“Rennie, he broke up with Winter. She’s… she’s… She’s going to be like _Pyrrha_.”

Understanding in his best friend’s eyes, as he joined the hug, worming his way into the embrace, the water turning hotter and hotter as he held his friends. They were together, and they knew that the past would catch up again.

“What’s your plan, Jaune?”

The question came from Ren, and he took a deep breath. His eyes looked into his friend’s pink eyes and then into Nora’s. He would _not_ let it happen again. No more would die because of Cinder Fall and her sick thirst for power.

He’d make _sure_ of it.

He didn't know how yet, but if Cinder came, he'd be _ready_.

* * *

Weiss knocked on the door to her sisters’ quarters, hoping that her sister was there. She’d seen her sister briefly, stern and imposing in her visage, but something felt off so she’d come here. She’d see to Jaune when he came back from his mission but her sister was more important.

She’d done sinful things with Ruby, things that no girl really should do, but it had been _fun_ , for as long as it lasted. Yang had been convinced it’d been an optical illusion, for some reason. Ruby kept quiet, not speaking a word as they’d gone to bed.

_‘Just a moment of need, a moment of… foolishness.’_

“Yes?”

The voice that came from within the room was quiet, as she pushed the door open. Weiss saw her sister sitting in her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, her eyes looking at her with redness around their rim. Her uniform was still on and it was crumpled and messy.

“Winter, are you… okay?”

A pathetic sound came from her sister’s throat, as the woman shivered a little, her eyes glinting with that dark emotion in their depths, a deep and pained expression, as the tears started to come.

_‘That’s not good…’_

“I broke up with Jaune.”

It was a shattered and broken voice that spoke, something unlike her proud and commanding sister, her hair loosened from the bun that she usually wore it in, her eyes closing as another soft shiver worked through her body.

“He- I _have_ to, Weiss. He’s all _yours_ now, and- and….”

A sob, a heart-broken sob came from her dear older sister, as Weiss hugged her, a shiver going through her older sisters’ body, as her sisters’ head bumped against her own in a slow motion, feeling the warmth of her sister’s body.

“He said he _loved_ me. I-“

Her sister’s broken wail was like a siren’s call, a whisper that turned into a broken-hearted moan as she started to loudly cry, hiccupping from the tears, as her arms wrapped tightly around her younger sister, Weiss pressed against Winter’s body, trying to make sense of it.

“I did what I _had_ to, Weiss. When I’m _invested_ , when-“

Her sister’s eyes were teary, as the blue orbs leaked, her eyes dripping with the wetness, a soft groaning sob that came from the depths of the young woman’s heart, the need within growing ever tougher to keep things going, a deep hurt in those eyes.

“ _Love_ him, _please._ Please, Weiss. _Love_ him, _never_ let him go. He’ll follow you to the end of the world if he had to, if-“

Her sisters’ voice was confident in that, as if it was a done deal that had to be accepted before it was processed. Winter’s tears kept on coming, as her sister seized her by the front of her clothes, the blue in her grasp.

“Love him, Weiss. Don’t make him hurt, _please_. He doesn’t deserve it, he- he doesn’t _deserve_ it, Weiss. When I am around him, my heart starts making me go crazy, when I look into his eyes, I feel pain, because I know he’s _there_ , and that he’d _never_ leave me. I-“

Her sisters’ face was a mess, Weiss realized, as she saw her older sisters’ pain in her eyes. Her sister’s head rested against her shoulder, as the sobs started to come even louder than before, pain wreathing the woman in her shadow, the never-ceasing hurt.

“He’d never leave me, I want to have a family with him! He’d never leave me, but I _have_ to! I never thought about _desertion_ until I met him, but I _have_ to follow my orders, Weiss. Please, _Please!_ Make him love _you,_ fuck him, seduce him… _please_. _Please?!”_

Her sister’s voice was desperate, as the complete and utter lack of composure and the heavy tears that leaked from her eyes came, her breathing ragged and quick, as if Winter had ran miles before she spoke. There was so much pain in those eyes of her sister, as no thoughts of the young man came to her mind, as the tears dripped down her own cheeks. Weiss her shirt was gripped tightly, the look of desperation in her sisters’ eyes and written all over her face.

“If… But _you_ love him?”

Winter’s cries became louder, Weiss thanking her sister’s lucky stars for having isolation built into the wall of her lodgings. She held her sister, whose grip on her actually started to hurt, sobbing louder with every moment that passed.

_‘Winter…’_

Weiss looked at her sister, whose face looked like it was set in a deep darkness, her expression changing not from that moment.

“I love him _so_ much, Weiss. He sees _me_ , rather than Specialist Schnee. When I become the Maiden…”

A shivering breath, as the tears came again, as they leaked down her sisters’ nose, her sisters’ eyes looking straight into her own.

“I’ll never be allowed away from Atlas. The last person in the Maiden’s thoughts… _Love_ _him_ , Weiss. If you’ve ever loved me, love him _just_ as much. I’ve seen you yesterday at the club, and- And he’s _such_ a _wonderful_ man.”

She knew that. She’d always known that, somehow. When he’d brought her back to life, when he’d given his aura to her to heal him, it had been warm, comforting. Her thoughts about him had her coming in those moments when privacy had been assured, had brought her joy, though she’d never show it.

“He’s… he’s _great_ with kids. I’ve looked at the mission reports, I- I wanted to see what he’d do and- and- It’s all third-party testimonies and observations. Great with children, caring and attentive to the mothers. We’ve got independent observers that do reports, and- and-“

_‘And you want to be his wife.’_

She could see it in her mind’s eye, her proud sister standing next to him, and the stab of pain in her own heart at the thought of such a betrayal. She wasn’t thinking about herself in a wedding dress, at all. No being pushed into the bedroom and told to kneel, no nice stockings ripped and soiled with juices most perverse. No gags made out of her own underwear as the bride was claimed by her husband. Weiss Schnee was a lady of standing!

“Winter, you…”

Winter looked into her eyes with a pleading expression in her own eyes. There was pain in those eyes, the depth of that love for the man that Weiss had to admit, was a serious contender for her own charms to be practised upon.

“I’m… I’m giving him to you, Weiss. I-“

Her sister was conflicted, as her eyes closed. The pain on that face was visible, as it hurt to say the words.

“I _have_ to. If- If I must, I will _have_ to give him up. I have to, Weiss. There _must_ be a Winter Maiden to assist General Ironwood.”

_‘Fria won’t last very long…’_

She wondered whether Winter would start to glow if the powers went to her. There was much that she didn’t know about the process of becoming a Maiden. She had seen Cinder, and had _certainly_ felt the spear that’d been thrown at her, but other than that…

“Can’t you…”

Her sister looked at her, a small shake of her head, her hair bouncing with the shake, the loose strands falling in her face, the hug ended as Winter pushed her away.

“No, Weiss. I _have_ to be the one. General Ironwood and all of Atlas is counting on me.”

Her sister got up and walked to the full-length mirror that’d been placed in a corner, looking at her own reflection for a long while. Her stern face was as cold as an ice-sheet in the wastes, her older sisters’ cool eyes looked into the mirror, pain in them visible.

“I _have_ to become the Winter Maiden, and I cannot let _anyone_ distract me from my duty.”

Her sister was hurt, as she spoke those words so resolutely that it hurt Weiss physically to see the torn look on her sister’s beautiful face, the pain not stopping one instant to be corrected.

“He promised me that I’d _never_ be _alone_ , he said that I’d never be alone _with_ him around me.”

The words were spoken, as the woman before the mirror shattered and the tears continued, seemingly unending, the pain on her older sisters’ face, as she breathed in and out, nearly too fast to keep herself under control. Winter was nearly hyperventilating, as the tears came.

“When we make _love_ , he wraps me in his aura to make it feel _good_ , to heal me, and- and it’s so _warm_ , Weiss. It makes me feel like I’m _safe_ , like I’m…”

The fist struck the mirror and her sister’s hand punched right through the wooden frame. A choked sob came from her sister’s lips, as the other fist punched through the shattered shards, a near-manic desperate cry of pain from her sisters’ lips.

With a trembling voice, her sister spoke, not turning around to face her, the shattered fragments of the mirror that’d remained in the mirror’s frame showing the pain on her sisters’ face.

“I’d like to be alone for a bit, Weiss. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? We’ll… We’ll see mother tomorrow, with Mist- With _Jaune_ , okay?”

She got up, as she’d been told to.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Winter. Are you sure that you want me to take over? Jaune likes you, he-“

Her sister’s answer wasn’t forthcoming, as Weiss stood at the door, her sister just standing there in front of the mirror, opening the door softly and hearing the soft sound of a keening wail starting up, as she closed the door behind her, never hearing the soft ‘No.’ that her sister uttered at that last moment, before she collapsed in the shards of the broken mirror, her knees hitting the ground with a dampened sound as she covered her face and wept. Only the broken mirror had heard Winter Schnee’s response, leaving the woman in the shards of the mirror that had been broken.

Weiss Schnee knew what she had to do. She’d have to win the guy who’d been dumped by her older sister over… and she’d have to see whether she’d be able to do it with as little suspicion from him.

_‘Perhaps I can invite him to the park? Mother liked the park, and we’d always go for walks. Father didn’t like the frog I gave him as a present much…’_

She’d do her best, for her sister. The gnawing guilt inside her did not stop, as she knew that her sister liked the boy that she herself liked.

_‘I’m sorry, Winter…’_

She’d have to seduce Jaune Arc. She wouldn't let him be alone, even if it'd hurt her sister's feelings.

* * *

Jaune watched over the children, keeping the smile on his face until they were safely at the school, Casey standing at his side, her blonde hair combed in a bit more formal a style. Several other mothers looked like they’d want to say something, but he just watched the school for a while as his mood fell.

“Why the gloomy mood, Jaune?”

A sound not unlike a whimper came from his throat. The woman that he’d made love to repeatedly had denied his love, had said that it’d be best if they parted ways. He could understand the thought behind it, but it didn’t mean that the pain would ever stop being real.

“I broke up with the girl I was seeing.”

His voice was morose and heavy, as he watched Casey perk up, before her face showed those emotions as well, reminded of the one she’d lost. The woman sighed as she was reminded, a faint brush of something going through his body, the burning inside not stopping in the slightest.

_‘You’re going to die, Winter… I don’t want you to die…’_

“Want to talk about it over drinks, Jaune?”

Getting drunk wouldn’t solve a thing. He knew well what a crutch it was to be a drunkard. His eyes looked misty at Casey, who offered a shoulder for him to lean on.

“Weren’t you a doctor, Nicta?”

One of the moms that he knew mostly from the interaction with her daughter, a young girl called Greene, nodded softly.

“I’m afraid that I can’t heal a broken heart, Jaune. I’d have patched up my own if I could.”

He felt the pain increase, as he looked at the woman, who looked like she empathized with his plight. He wasn’t going to do anything with the ladies whose children he escorted, as they walked towards the nearest diner, the one where he and Winter had their dinner.

_‘It’s funny…’_

It wasn’t funny at all, as he could see her sitting there, looking like she was unused to being amongst the common masses, like a princess of ice. She was different from her mother, but it would be fine…

“Coffee for the cute hunk.”

He drank the bitter brew, feeling the heat wash his throat with the burning taste of pain. Winter was going to be the Fall Maiden’s target if she was allowed to become the Winter Maiden. Winter would die too, to Cinder’s hand. He couldn’t allow that, but he had no idea how to go on about it.

“Do you need anything?”

He looked at them and then sighed, shaking his head. He’d probably not sleep well tonight…

“A good night’s sleep and hopefully no bad dreams.”

Casey smiled and patted his shoulder encouragingly, trying her best to cheer him up. The others were looking a little more worriedly at him, but he was sure that they’d understand.

“If you ever need help, we’re all here to help. Our cute boy Jaune needs but to ask, but if you’d like an orgy, please… Do it while the kids are at school.”

It was a little joking comment that got her scandalized looks from several of the women who still had husbands, their eyes questioning him.

“I’m not- I’m not looking for that. I should go and get some rest tonight, I’m… it’s been an exhausting day.”

He made a short trip past the pharmacy, picking up something to sleep a little easier with. Undoubtedly, he was going to have bad dreams, and Nora didn’t need to be more concerned than she already was.

He was there at the time that school finished, picking up the children of the women again with the women in attendance, his eyes damp as he didn’t know what to do. How would he deal with this again?

A buzzing of his Scroll and Weiss’ icon lit up, her face showing as the profile picture.

**Weiss: ‘I heard. Do you want to have dinner with me in the cafeteria?’**

He could try, knowing that Weiss just wanted to help him out. It was…

_‘It’s just so unfair! Grandma said that life is unfair and cruel, but this- This is just thirty shades of unfair with a dash of fuck you thrown into it!’_

**‘I’d love to.’**

He had to appear composed, he had to not break down, as he knew that Weiss probably knew about him and Winter. She was being a good sister, a good friend to him. He didn’t blame her for anything, Winter had chosen…

Winter had chosen to _die_ for Atlas, and he didn’t want to accept that.

_‘It hurts so much…’_

He was aware that there were tears coming from his eyes again, slowly crystallizing, as the cold weather howled around him, the chill of the winter-like conditions of Solitas making his heart feel like it was freezing in his chest.

“Are you okay, Jaune?”

One of the children asked and he smiled. He had to keep on smiling, just so they wouldn’t be afraid.

“Just had some bad news, kiddo. Let’s get you home, okay?”

The flight back was spent huddled up in a corner of the flight, trying to gather himself again. A quick shower later and he was ready for dinner…

_‘This world is cruel… It’s so cruel.’_

The mocking laughter of Cinder and the words she’d said to him, barely even willing to entertain him as a credible threat.

_‘A failure with a death wish.’_

If anyone deserved to die, it was _Cinder_.

Weiss sat at the long table, looking at him with her beautiful eyes looking at him.

“Hello, Jaune.”

He sat down opposite of her, and there was a silence that fell, as he took a deep breath, trying for that smile. It only half-succeeded.

“Hello, Weiss.”

* * *

Weiss felt the nervous jitters go through her body as she looked at the boy she totally did not like. She was doing this for her sister, not because she was in any way planning on feeling his strong arms wrap around her and give her those caresses that she so craved.

“Are you okay?”

_‘Okay, maybe there is something… But he should be sad.’_

He looked tired. Weary of things that had been going on, her fingers drumming on the table impatiently. There was a certain poise, a certain thing going on with him, as his dark blue eyes looked into her own.

_‘Come on, don’t let me wait… Say something.’_

A shadow, like the broody moment she’d caught when they’d been at the house in Mistral, flickered over his face. She could feel her heartbeat race in her chest suddenly, as he leaned against the table with his manly body.

“No. Your sister, she-“

His expression darkened and there was anger, a wave of savage, rough anger that seemed untamed, frustration and something more in those eyes. The eyes of a man who had made Winter crave him, who said he’d stand by her and fight for her.

“We are… done. Over. Kaput.”

She got up and walked around, laying a hand on his shoulder. Touching him made her hand feel warm. He looked up at her, his eyes set in a resolute manner, his teeth visible as he tried to make a smile happen, but nothing came up.

“That’s… I am sure that she had her reasons.”

She wouldn’t betray her sisters’ confidence by saying that she’d spoken with her sister, though it was logical. She knew that Jaune didn’t need that right now. Winter was simply giving her a shot, simply… simply doing what was best for the world.

_‘Why does it feel like I’m trying to take something from her? Why does it feel so bad?’_

“She probably does.”

His eyes were so sad, her hands grabbing his shoulders and giving them a swift shake. She moved her face close, trying to muster the words that she should say. He looked so _sad_.

“You’re going to get better, Jaune Arc! Even if I have to make sure that you’ll smile again, I will make sure that you’re going to be happy again.”

She most certainly didn’t mean to insinuate that it would be Weiss Schnee herself that would make him happy. It had been a small mistake last night with Ruby, something to take the tension off her body, something that’d been quick, easy and needed.

He looked broody, delicious and kissable, as his eyes looked into her own. There was a deep, smouldering anger in those eyes that burned her, that told her that he would _fight_. She straightened, and he got up, his lips curving into that light smile.

“I doubt it. Not yet.”

His larger hands pushed hers off his shoulders and she shivered. The thought of those large hands touching her, leaving her gasping and moaning, shivering and in need… Delightful and with that hint of something forbidden and without restraint.

“W-wait. You should eat.”

His head turned to her and there was that look again. She’d seen it before and stared in those eyes, feeling his hands on her. She’d masturbated really hard the next night, because she saw that hope and desperation within the gaze that’d regarded her, relieved that she was alive still.

“I’m not hungry anymore.”

She could see his eyes be distant, hurt. Her hand touched his shoulder and he turned away from her.

_‘You don’t get to walk away from me!’_

Weiss moved faster, grabbing his arm and tugging. He turned to her and there was anger in his eyes, an anger that cowed her. A flash of her father showed in his face, before his gaze turned softer and less angry.

“ _Please_ , Weiss. I need to be alone for a bit. I’m- It’s _fresh_ , okay?“

She wouldn’t leave it at that! Winter had broken things off, and she had a shot now.

“You’d better show up for a date then, tomorrow evening. I don’t want to see my partner’s best friend sad.”

It was an excuse, she knew. She knew that it was wrong to immediately offer something like that, but his eyes held that firm determination, as he bit down, his eyes gazing at her with something in their depth.

“No. No date, not now.”

_‘WHAT?!’_

Here she was making a sacrifice of her time and energy for Jaune and he was saying _no?!_ What was this weird fantasy world? She pinched herself a few times, trying to make sense of everything that was happening. This _wasn’t_ allowed! She should be getting her blonde happy again with a date, not by having this horrible case of neglect!

“Have a nice evening, Weiss.”

She stood there, watching him retreat. Ruby coughed a little, as she laid a hand on her shoulder, an apologetic smile on her lips.

“Better luck next time?”

_‘Oh, you little-‘_

Thirty minutes later, Ruby Rose laid next to her in the bed, her fingers touching over her body, a gasp coming from her lips as the delicate fingers that manipulated a combat sniper-scythe with elegance and skill dove deep into her sex, gasping groans and moans coming from her lips as her partner’s touches continued, Ruby’s lips pressing against her stomach in soft kisses. The thought of Jaune disappeared for a short while, replaced with silver eyes and a weird tingly feeling in her stomach, as fingers continued to pump into her, the slow and sensual build-up, which was shattered with a gasping groan.

She got out of Ruby’s bed and then did a slow stretch, sure that she’d be ready for something later, the door opening and Yang entering, giving her a look. Weiss looked back, her hand brushing through the loose hair.

“What?”

She should go and check up on Jaune. It might be nice to… to do things and see how he was doing. Yang looked at her and then at Ruby, who was giving a cheeky smile, like the little bestie that she was, the feeling inside her welling up that made her feel a little bit guilty.

“You two weren’t at dinner, thought to get a shower? Jaune’s upset, I think your sister ditched him…”

_‘Oh, that’s not quite most of it.’_

She could see that it had affected Jaune greatly, her sister’s love forgotten. It was not something that the blonde hunk would really dismiss.

“Want to shower together, Ruby?”

Her partner gave a giggle and leapt off, wrapping an arm around her and steering her towards the shower, where the warmth of a hot shower waited for her. Yang gave a shake of the hair, as Weiss could see.

“Weirdoes… So, better make sure that I prepare the bed for Blake… We might be able to hold hands… Yeah, Yang Xiao Long knows what romance is, yup!”

_‘Romance is having Jaune plough me like a field and turn me like a hoe!’_

Ruby was kissing her moments later, making her feel awkward. The fingers that were sliding into her weren’t unpleasant, but it was… it wasn’t something that she should. She wasn’t into girls, she guessed.

_‘No, this is just to deal with that warmth. Jaune will see the truth.’_

Ruby came three times during their shower, as Weiss moved to give some pleasure back, her partner’s hands on her head as she lapped at her groin, leaving a refreshed Ruby and herself to exit the shower.

_‘Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to… to ask whether Ruby would like to join too.’_

Partners should _share_ , after all. Didn’t Ruby and Yang share the same dad?

_‘Hmm… Daddy Arc…’_

There _was_ some charm to the thought, but she’d _never_ admit that aloud. Nobody would know that she’d just like that warm arm around her and the growl in her ear that she’d not be able to escape his loving embrace and happy family home.

_‘You’re…’_

A stab of guilt hit her as she felt the pain inside her shiver and rise up, like bile from her gut. She wasn’t sure why she felt like this, but…

But she felt bad. Winter had been _happy_ and she…

_‘It’s not fair…’_

She knocked on the door to the dorm that JNR and Oscar were using for their own, seeing the door open slowly and seeing Nora stand there, dressed in her casual clothing, her face showing a hint of something that might be irritation, but her eyes were bright and sparkly after that minute flash.

“Hello Weiss!”

She didn’t know what to do, as Nora opened the door and she beheld the young man who had been on her mind before. Her pussy went wetter than the thawing season in Atlas, the warmth pooling in her groin as she looked at him.

“H-hey, I was… I was just _concerned.”_

He wore no shirt right now, in the process of getting himself something on that’d make sure that those muscles were hidden. Neptune who? She could grind cheese on those abs and make herself a damn nice Vacuan pizza, as she stared at his masculine and quite fetching form. The room was a little chilly, because her nipples were hard. They should turn up the heating a little…

He smiled and her body shuddered. It was unfair, weapons of ass destruction weren’t meant to be used against innocent Weiss Schnee’s. Not that she minded the thought of him smiling at her whilst he spanked her, but…

“Sorry, I…”

He moved, and with him, the muscles moved. She was nakedly checking him out, looking at those pectoral muscles move, the signs of a year of hard living. He had grown. He’d grown and she’d seen him grow. He stood taller than her, and looked down at her.

_‘He’s really big.’_

The urge to just take to a knee and make sure that he got some Schnee Special Service was powerful, as she inhaled his scent. Something masculine, a dash of cologne, something that her mother had bestowed on him, more familiar with male scent and such than she was.

It made him look like a man, like a rough man who would tame her like a wild beast with a pent up lust that had totally not been inspired by Blake’s books, and she’d earmarked the point where she’d left at with a- well, that mattered not.

She most certainly did not want to feel him seize her by the braid and make her scream loudly about how she was being a dirty little Schnee getting extra labour pumped into her mine shaft, no, that would be _way_ too crude. It’d only been a fantasy six times, after all. She was a chaste woman who enjoyed rough touches and being told that she’d be taken out on an adventure of love.

“I’m still a little _tense_.”

She most certainly was too. He stood so close that she’d have to stand on her tiptoes to reach his nose, and her eyes looked at him. He was _big_. Her sister wasn’t big, and-

_‘Oh.’_

He’d _ruin_ her with his manhood. She remembered the sight on the alley, Winter working on that massive shaft with her lips sliding over that flesh, the sight of his face torn by pleasure. It was big, large and… and she might need a small change of underwear, as she stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes going half-closed.

She most certainly did not have a thought about being ravished like the innocent virgin queen of the castle by a horde of rampant barbarians looking like Jaune Arc, _no_. Chaste thoughts, _nothing_ impure. Those fancies were better left for Blake, she was _pure_. She might or might not have looked for a dress online, and maybe a loincloth.

“It is- It is fine. Mother- _Mother_ wishes to see you and Winter and me and- and I thought it’d be really nice if we could meet together? I mean, I understand if-“

She was flustered, a sight that she hadn’t often witnessed in herself, as she looked into his eyes, his hand on her. It was big, warm and should be elsewhere, between her legs, rubbing over her suddenly very wet groin, in full view of the others, just to show that she was his woman. She totally thought that it would be nice to feel him spread them and then-

“Sorry that I frightened you, Weiss.”

_‘You can frighten me anytime.’_

He was protective, as he let his hand brush over the fabric of her huntress outfit. It was fabric that made her feel warm and protected. For the first time, she wanted to pull some of the belts off and let him spank her with them, giving her the punishment for acting out and being a needy girl.

“I’m… I’ll be there, tomorrow. I said that I’d never let your sister be alone, and I won’t leave _you_ alone either. I’m not going to let any of my friends die, and that’s a promise I’ll keep.”

_‘Take me now.’_

She could hear Ren say something, and for a moment she wanted to just throw the guy out of the window, words of ‘We’re going to be there for you too, Weiss’ were totally unimportant! Jaune had said that he’d keep her safe and that was great.

“She’s… She’s _stressed_ , Jaune.”

_‘I shouldn’t tell him about the Maiden thing… It’d just… Let him believe that it was just her work stress.’_

He nodded, turning away, looking at Ren and giving a little nod as Ren held up something, a cookbook of some sort. He handed it to Jaune, who smiled and gave a quick ‘Thank you’ to him.

“I… Want to bake some cookies? Ren and Nora want to have a quiet moment, and- Well…”

_‘What?’_

He smiled in that sexy way that totally made her want to run her hand through his short hair. Whoever had made the banana joke about his haircut was wrong, he looked completely normal to her! Cute, she might admit secretly! She’d put his banana in her and make herself some bread!

“Cookies. I’m… I’m trying to be there for the kids and- It’s okay if you don’t want to, but there have been a few of their mothers who died recently and-“

He stammered a little, his eyes looking into her own, that genuine nature of him making her feel warm. Oscar peered at her from behind him, clearly interested in the topic that was being discussed, Nora giving a look at Oscar that made the farm boy give a little ‘oh’ and started to get a book out, to read somewhere else.

“Sure!”

She wanted to see him knead that dough, like her breasts should be kneaded! She wanted to see his big hands work the dough, to feel what her sister had felt when they had made love like wild animals. Her sister had- No, her sister _did_ love him.

* * *

She looked at the bowl in front of her, her eyes looking at the goopy dough that was in the bowl, his smile as casual as it was, the darkness in his eyes fading a little with genuine joy, as he looked at her, the apron she wore guarding her from the mess.

“We’re going to make around two hundred cookies. I want to make sure that every kid gets one, and some for the Ace Ops and General Ironwood. The best way to work the pain in your heart away is to make something that’ll make you feel better, great-grandma always said. If at first you don’t succeed, build your forces up again and try again. That’s how they did it in the Great War. That’s why it lasted for ten years.”

She felt a deep warmth inside her as she saw him knead the dough, working with his hands. She’d never made cookies before, but she’d do her best. The cafeteria’s oven was at their disposal, Jaune’s smooth way of talking having charmed the cooks into allowing it.

_‘He’s good with children…’_

She’d do her best, and… and it felt _nice_ to be in a kitchen with him.

She cut them into little shapes, as he looked at the small bags that he’d liberated from somewhere, the clear see-through shape enough. He looked a little down, but the smile came to his face again, that wonderful smile. He looked up at her and she felt a warmth go through her.

“Your sister is amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman who loves you so much that she’d talk about you for hours, Weiss.”

_‘I love her too. She was willing to desert for you.’_

She could never tell him about the reason for Winter cutting things off, knowing that the secret of who was the next Winter Maiden should never leak out. It was not the first thing to note, as she looked at his expression that changed softly, as he looked at the cookies. He looked a little dark, his expression not quite fading.

“My sisters would’ve loved this. Saphron’s the last one left, you know?”

_‘Oh.’_

They’d not been at Saphron and Terra’s place long enough to really get to know the woman, the plan to steal an airship having come pretty swiftly after they’d been halted by Cordo. She remembered the family picture, the sisters arranged around him, with pigtails in his hair. They'd all been young, with Jaune as a preteen, she'd guessed, maybe six or seven years old.

“She… She’s _happy_. I’m… I heard the _news_ when I was at Beacon, a few weeks into the term.”

She felt bad for him, knowing that he’d lost his sisters, never quite having dared to ask. Saphron Cotta-Arc had been someone who loved her brother, someone who seemed to have a very warm heart for her family, but she’d never really spoken much of their sisters in the present form. It'd always been 'when we were growing up' and 'oh, he was so adorable back when'.

_‘So they were all…’_

He looked sad, as he looked away. Her arms wrapped around his waist impulsively, laying her head against his chest, as he spoke with a steady voice.

“Never cry, never let them see you cry. Dad said that, and- And mom was great too. I’d like to make a big family… Have everyone together again.”

She held him, with no secondary motive behind her touch, her head laid against his back. He turned around and looked down at her, her head against his chest. It was awkwardly endearing and she smiled, returning the look that he gave her. He smelled nice, and she felt at ease.

“I’d like to restore the family name. Schnee used to stand for good, not for… _Father.”_

He smiled at her, a delightful smile that made her heartbeat rise. It was that smile that drew her in, that made her feel better about sharing that moment of sadness with him, treacherous feelings that woke within her, as his hands gently pushed her away.

“Let’s make some cookies for your mother, brother and sister as well, Weiss. Oh, and for the rest of your team. We can't forget Ruby.”

A smile on his face as he winked at her, his eyes so blue, as they went to work. It was peaceful, working on something, the oven put on and leaving the cookies to become what they should be. Leaning against the warm oven, she looked at him, a few smudges of flour on his apron, his dependable size there.

_‘Winter… I’ll do my best.’_

She’d do her best, and she’d make sure that he loved her just as much. When Winter was the Maiden, she’d not…

_‘Why did we have to like the same man?’_

A question, as his eyes peered at her, and he came closer, leaning in. A small wet towel was brushed over her nose, as he smiled.

“You should take a shower afterwards. You’ve got some flour on your face.”

Weiss Schnee did _not_ blush at him! She just felt a little feverish, yes, as he looked at her face, so close. She let her hands stroke over his body, feeling the muscles below the shirt that he’d donned. She was going to enjoy tonight’s little ‘comfort session’ with herself, the feeling of something tingling inside her…

_‘I’m…’_

She came closer, her lips parting, his face close enough that she could kiss him. A small whisper in her mind told her that she would be kissing her sisters’ man, the man who had given his all to her sister, but that whisper was squashed, as she leaned in, and the beep of the oven came, letting her kiss land on his cheek.

_‘Drat.’_

She’d have to try again, as her hands brushed over his body as he turned, sure that she’d be merely _friendly_ with him. She didn’t want _friendly,_ she wanted to be slammed down on the counter and given her own cookies and cream. Preferably loudly, so she'd need to get a shower to wipe the flour off... a nice set of big hands might've come in handy as well.

“Here, it’s still hot.”

He held out a little snowflake-shaped cookie, and she noticed the similarities to her family’s crest. She saw the small hints of powdered sugar that’d been used to make it look appealing, the heavy smell of fresh-baked cookies in the air.

“I thought your mother, little brother and sister might appreciate some personalized cookies. I’m… I’m no longer with her, but it’s okay. I’ll still keep her in my thoughts fondly”

_‘It’s NOT okay.’_

He looked like his world had been crushed again, the raw pain in those eyes hiding not one bit. There was so much raw emotion in him that made her take a step forward and bite the cookie, her hands grabbing his wrist and then nibbling her way up to his fingers, licking them slowly.

It was an intimate manner, something that would be given harsh criticism in the formal circles, but she couldn’t stop that feeling inside her heart, as she looked at him, her blue eyes meeting his, as her hands pulled him close, his face closer to hers, his eyes peering into her own. There was a sensation of something in his heart, a tension that seemed to burn in his eyes, _determination_ to make sure that she was safe.

His hand wrapped around her neck, as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, his mouth pressing against his own, as her hands shifted and she broke away, panting heavily.

“Y-you’re going to be okay again, Jaune. I- I may be her sister, but I will not let you be sad.”

He smiled at her, a look on his face that was pained. She wanted to drag him into bed and make sure that he’d not be looking at anything that’d make him sad. Even if Yang objected, she’d be getting to see Weiss Schnee fuck the ever-loving fuck out of the blonde so that he’d be happy again.

“It’s nice to offer, Weiss, but…”

That deep dark emotion, that pain. She wished that she could take it away, that she could make it hide in the deepest depth of whatever Grimm-forsaken pit she’d find to throw it in.

“I’m… I don’t think I’m-“

 _‘No, you ARE worthy of a Schnee! Don’t think that I’ve never been taught to evaluate a man’s worth! Neptune was a mistake, a foolish mistake that was childish perhaps, but he taught me the value of being_ _selective! You don’t look at other girls and you are loyal!’_

She poked her finger against his chest, her blue eyes flashing with her anger.

“You’re not going to be _sad_. The man who saved my life should not be sad. You are _not_ going to be sad, Jaune Arc!”

She knew that it was out of bounds to be like this, an uppity and defiant girl, but those eyes turned warmer and moistened. His arms wrapped around her and she felt the heat of his Aura warmly seize her body, letting her feel safe and protected.

She might just have snuggled a little into that warm chest of his, and her leg might have rose just a little bit to make sure that she’d feel his groin. Winter had touched that manly part and she’d liked it.

“I’ll keep you safe, Weiss. I promise you, I’ll do _whatever_ it takes. You deserve to keep your family close. I want to see your sister smile again, proud of her little sister.”

She smiled softly, brushing her head against his chest and giving a little sigh, smelling the scent of cookies in the air. She was with a guy she liked and that was enough for Weiss Schnee. Tomorrow would be a new day.

She’d see whether she had that lingerie set still, something to wear for a special day…

_‘I won’t let him be sad, Winter…’_

* * *

**I hope people enjoy the story.**

**Until next time.**


	7. The Tea Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a tea conversation... and more Winter woes. Jaune brings cookies for all!

**Neither Jaune nor Winter is very happy right now. Understandable.**

* * *

Jaune looked at the person sleeping next to him, face-to-face with a sleeping Ren whose arm had looped around him, Nora rubbing against him with a soft mumbling of ‘pancake syrup’, her nose brushing against his arm and tickling him.

_‘I’m still there...’_

He looked at the cookies that he’d baked, all neatly packaged in the bags and tagged with names. The name tags had been perfect, every kid having one for their own, knowing that it’d be something that they’d just love. Cookies for the children, and Nora had eaten her portion and Ren had about three of his own bag. Oscar had put his cookies in his bag, saying that he’d save them for later.

“It’s going to be okay again, Jaune.”

Nora’s voice was soft in his ear, his head turning to face her, a hopeful smile on her lips. He knew that it wouldn’t be.

Cinder Fall was _out there_.

His face made her frown, as her lips parted softly before closing, a sentence swallowed before a soft smile emerged on her face, her hands brushing over his body in a gentle caress, straightening him out a little before she firmed her expression.

“We’re still here, Jaune. We’re _not_ letting you suffer like this.”

He looked into Nora’s eyes, as her hands grabbed his pyjamas firmly. She looked him deep in the eyes, that serious, perceptive expression not fading one bit. She tried to give him hope, a smile that was light, warm and with that hint of an odd thought, like so many often came.

“And... And if I didn’t have Rennie, you’d bet that I’d be snatching you up, mister Arc. You’re not allowed to be sad for us. You’re better than some Schnee hussie who doesn’t know what she’s giving up.”

_‘Her life. Everything. She’ll be gone soon too, because Cinder is coming for her.’_

He could see it already, Winter’s pierced stomach, Cinder laughing again. Hearing her taunt him again with another life claimed for that crusade for power, for that _stupid_ wish to be strong and respected.

“Hey, _hey_ , Jaune. Jaune? Listen, okay? We’re _not_ giving up. If you need us... _no_ matter _what_ , we’ll follow your orders. Rennie and I _talked,_ and-“

She swallowed, looking at him for a moment and then giving him a hug.

“We don’t want _another_ Kuroyuri, Jaune. If we need to, _anything_ for our Leader. Rennie was- He wanted to talk to Ironwood, but-“

_‘That wouldn’t do a thing... Ruby lied to him, we didn’t tell everything...’_

He looked at her and her bittersweet smile was sad. She and Ren had fought a little, he could tell from the minute little twitches in her face. She wasn’t someone who showed her pain or fear or hurt, but he could tell that she was stressed out.

“No. We’re... We’re a _team_. I’m here for you, as much as you are there for me.”

She gave a smile and kissed his cheek softly.

“That’s why we follow you, Jaune. Ruby’s team is just four different girls, just tied together because they _think_ they know what the right thing is. You’re...”

She smiled really broadly, not quite a grin as her cheeks darkened a little with a blush. She looked down and seemed to want to continue, but she seemed to not know how to express it, her cheeks flushing red, her smile turning warmer and more womanly.

“Yeah, we’ll get _you_ back to smiling again, Mister Arc. It’ll be okay to do that, because you’re _our_ leader. We _believe_ in you."

She paused for a moment, her eyes looking into his own, her expressive eyes looking troubled, her cheeks red, a hesitant and yet bold smile on her lips as her voice turned more emotional.

"Ruby can talk about moving forwards all she wants, but she _isn't_ Jaune Arc. She'll _never_ be our leader, even if she wants us to follow her."

Jaune only gazed at the petite woman in the bed with him, closing his eyes and whispering his thanks to her. Two in the morning wasn’t a good time to talk. He felt her snuggle a little closer into his embrace, remembering the kiss with Weiss in the kitchen. That’d been a surprise, but... it hadn’t been _bad._

“You’re _not_ allowed to die on us _too,_ Jaune. We'd _break_ without you.”

Nora’s soft whisper probably wasn’t meant to be heard, but he kept his eyes closed, just feeling her pull him closer. He pulled her a little closer in return, as he smiled and her head rubbed against his armpit, making a frowning face as she smelled him and mumbling something about needing a shower, stinky Jaune. A smile came to his face as he whispered softly.

“I’ll make sure you’re all safe.”

He was back to sleep before he heard her response, drifting off into a memory of silver flashes and green eyes begging him to stay. He woke up entangled between Ren and Nora, Nora’s hands having somehow linked with Ren’s in an intimate hug of Jaune's own body, the two of them having formed the bun to the sandwich with him as the meat. It wasn't common that they slept in the same bed, but it was cute, he supposed, that they loved each other so much that they'd automatically linked hands.

She woke up as he tried to get loose, her eyes impish as she kissed his nose. The bright blue glimmered, as amusement shone in her eyes at his somewhat amused expression.

“Boop.”

A wink, before she rolled to the side, allowing him to get out of bed for a shower. His alarm was soon to blare, and he had to get the cookies stowed in his pack. The kids would love them, he knew. A shave and some of that new cologne would do wonders for the smell.

“Be _sexy_ for us, Jaune. Make Winter regret dumping you.”

He gave her a wink, now sure that he was going to knock it all out of the park, his expression resolute. He stepped into the shower and then got himself cleaned and washed up for the day. He picked a fresh shirt out of the clothes dresser and got himself dressed for the job of getting the kids back to school.

He grabbed the bags for the Ace Ops and the general. He’d give Winter’s share of the cookies when he was with Weiss to the meeting with her mother. He was sure that they’d be well-received by the people.

* * *

In the briefing room, he held out one of the bags to Clover, the leader of the Ace Ops when he got into the briefing room, the man’s eyebrow raised at the bag of cookies with a tag of ‘Clover Ebi’ attached to it. It was pink and perhaps a bit girlish, but the blue tags had ran out.

“I baked some cookies, I thought you’d like to have them.”

He smiled his kindest smile, the man’s easy smile adding confidence to the man’s natural charm, taking the cookies and giving him a smile.

“Ooh, cookies!”

Marrow said, as he held out a hand, a small bag put in that hand and left there, quickly having it be pried open and a cookie pulled out and tasted.

“These are really good. Thanks!”

The other members of the Ace Ops got their cookies, Harriet giving him a little cocky nod as she stood at attention, the bag put in a pocket, her eyes glinting with that little hint of something.

“Quite the surprise to see you so attentive, Mister Arc.”

The general spoke, Winter standing next to him, as prim and proper as a statue. The previous morning he’d not glimpsed her, perhaps for the best. Her eyes were cool, as he gave an understanding smile.

He held out two bags for the General. “I was making cookies for the kids I’ve been escorting. I’ve grown fond of them, they... they’ll be great kids. Here’s one for you, and for your grandmother. I hope she gets over whatever illness she has, she looked pretty sick. You must love her a lot to check up on her so frequently.”

The man’s face stiffened a little in a faux-smile, the beard brushed through for a moment as the eyes shifted a little down to the desktop, before it turned into the smile of a liar, something that he'd had experience at in the start of his Huntsman career. The existence and status of the Winter Maiden were to be kept a secret, so the man would lie to him in order for him not to worry.

“She’s been a little under the weather, but I’ll make sure that Specialist Schnee brings her the cookies, Mister Arc. Thank you for your gift, I am sure she will enjoy them.”

He smiled, as pleasant as he could make it, aware of the harsh truth that Winter would be the maiden soon enough. They would hide the fact until Winter would be like Pyrrha and then... then she would die again, thanks to the jealous girl that wanted power.

“I’ve got some cookies for Winter and her mother, but I didn’t think it’d be right to give them to her yet, there’s a mission still, and- and I’d like her to get them personally. It’d be... It’d be _nice.”_

She stiffened a little and her features twitched, her eyes turning a little cooler, which was a sign that she was going to be emotional later. He’d memorized her little twitches perfectly, aware of them more than she probably was. It’d been... it’d been nice. He smiled at her again, knowing that she hurt behind her mask of ice.

_‘I’ll do whatever I can to stop Cinder.’_

He’d make sure that he’d keep Winter safe, even if she didn’t want anything to do with him.

“That _won’t_ be necessary, Mister Arc. I don’t think I should accept...”

She closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose, continuing after a pause of maybe two seconds. Her eyes opened up, sad and freezing once more when she spoke the word with disdain that was heavy and pained.

“ _cookies_.”

He put his best smile on his face as he looked at her and nodded in understanding. Several of the Ace Ops gave him a look that was half-pitying, half-assured.

“I’ll give them to you anyways, because you might change your mind. Weiss and I made them last night, and I thought it’d be nice to make sure that you all got some too. My grandmother always said that no problem couldn’t be fixed with a nice cookie. My sisters... They’d like them too, if they still lived.”

She looked a little bit less professional for an instant, her lips twitching into that smile for an instant, before she straightened, giving a tense nod. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he was gathering himself as she waited to give her answer.

“I will bring the cookies to the General’s grandmother. I am sure that she’d like them with her morning tea.”

As he received his mission an hour later, he knew that he’d be facing the kids and their mother again, stepping out into the cold of Solitas’ winds on Atlas, his eyes looking over the early morning glare of the tundra’s pale sheet of ice and the dots that were Grimm.

_‘The things we do...’_

He was sure that he’d have another day in front of him.

_‘Let’s hope that Winter will want to talk...’_

He really hoped that. He cared for her. It might be love, it might be really intense care, but seeing her hurt didn't sit well with him.

* * *

Weiss Schnee had a small problem. She was currently entangled in her bedsheets, trying to get out of them and there’d been a small little problem with her groin being soaked. Ruby was looking at her with a smile on her lips, before she was pulled free from her entrapment. That dream about barbarian Jaune and bar wench Weiss had been... thrilling. She shouldn't have read 'The barmaid's tale' before sleep, but it'd been pleasant, and she'd been _distracted._

_‘It would not be a bad idea to... to get a shorter skirt.’_

She was most certainly not thinking about a horridly lewd little display, sans underwear, no. His kiss had been amazing, and it had been... nice. Very nice and thrilling, with the hint of something more in her stomach, a fluttering feeling.

The sinking feeling in her gut afterwards when she realized her sisters’ life goal of serving Atlas, and that she was tearing the one that her sister liked and loved away from her, that she was, with permission, stealing the man that her sister liked. The man who her sister had feelings for, who she had...

_‘But... I like him too.’_

“Shower up, Weiss. We’re going to be late. Don’t be sad again, okay?”

Ruby said, giving her a little hopeful smile and she felt a moment where she breathed in. She was going to do it, for Winter, for her own selfish little feelings of desire. She was going to seduce Jaune so he would love her, and her sister would be... her sister would be happier.

_‘I’m never sad. She said that this was better for him, and I don’t want to make him sad.’_

She entered the shower and she wasn’t crying, no, she was just having... having a little moment where the water washed over her face and made her eyes wet. Leaning against the tiles of the shower was there, as she felt a hand against her back. The water started then, and she'd _not_ been crying. She'd just... No. She _wasn't_ crying.

“Stop being sad, Weiss. We’ve got to keep moving forward. If you need...”

_‘You don’t understand.’_

Her partner and team leader looked at her as if she saw something to be pitied, to feel not the woes of a woman in love. It had been a mistake to have some touching with Ruby, but... but Ruby had suggested it.

“I’ll do _things_ with you to cheer you up. I’m not... I’m not into girls like _that_ , but for _you..._ for _Jaune._ He’s...He's one of the only people beside you...”

Ruby sighed and Weiss looked at her partner, the water washing through her hair, the spray hitting the back of her head. It was just water that leaked from her eyes, Weiss Schnee did not show weakness, and it was most certainly not a sob that came from her lips. It was all a lie, of course, that she might be trembling a little as she moaned something about life being unfair. All a lie, because Weiss Schnee was a perfectionist who did not cry.

_‘I don’t deserve a partner like you.’_

Ruby smiled, patting her with a hand to try and reassure her. Weiss Schnee did not cry, no, and that wasn’t a hiccup that came from her mouth as she blubbered something about not deserving a partner like Ruby. She’d deny it all.

“Wash up, Weiss. You’re my BFF, so... So it’ll be okay, you hear? Yang’s... Yang’s not as far with Blake as we’ve gone, but- But I’ll be your partner forever and ever.”

_‘You silly, silly girl. I don’t...’_

She looked away, ashamed with the feeling of appreciation that Ruby gave her. She’d made use of her partner to get rid of these feelings that were driving her insane, that were tingling and tantalizing with their heat and their craving, the blood within her body burning, wanting that touch of a lover.

“I like Jaune, I- I’m sorry, Ruby. I-“

The silver-eyed girl smiled with a gentle hint to her lips, stepping back a little, Weiss watching with worry growing in her eyes.

“I _know_ , silly. You’ve been talking about him ever since Haven happened, and... And I want you to be _happy_. If I can distract you just a little... It’s fine. You make me feel good too.“

_‘I really don’t deserve you.’_

She was in a morose mood as she joined her friends at the mission briefing, Ruby selecting a mission that wouldn’t be challenging. Weiss looked at her sister as she stood there at General Ironwood's side, her face a mask of ice and hidden feelings. The Ace Ops were already gone on their mission and her sister stood there, her face trying hard to keep her composure.

“Alright, team RWBY! We’re going to be heading out!”

Weiss gave her partner a little smile, knowing that Ruby could be counted on to make sure that they wouldn’t be in too much danger on their mission. Guarding a transport from the tundra’s Grimm was important, after all.

“- fault, Nora! You have to _think_ about things before you do them. Now we're _late!_ ”

An angry Ren’s voice reached her ears and Weiss and her team watched how the two stood opposite of each other, Nora’s look a little bit angry.

“Well, you should’ve gotten up!”

There was a hush that fell as the two looked at each other and Ren seemed to become a pale grey colour, Nora’s eyes still angry.

“I should have, perhaps. You had no right to throw a bucket of water on me, Nora.”

It was creepy how unemotional the young man’s voice sounded when he wasn’t feeling the emotions burden him, Weiss thought, as the two looked at them and Nora gave an apologetic smile.

“Lazybones here was sleeping for a little bit too long, so I had to wake him up. Have a good time on your mission, we’ll be seeing whether we can help! Come on, Ren!”

He didn’t take her hand, as was usually the case, keeping a morose look on his face. Nora started to chat energetically, talking about things that were odd and peculiar, but Weiss could see the hurt in her way of standing.

_‘Not everything goes well, does it?’_

She hadn’t been there during the ‘big moment’ when there’d been a kiss between Ren and Nora, but it’d been apparently ‘romantic’.

“Gee, I wonder what’s up with those two. At least we’re the best partners, right Blake?”

Blake made a soft laugh, but Weiss worried a little for the two. She wasn’t sure, but it felt like things were simmering under the surface.

“Some relations have their little fights, Yang. Not everything has to be world-ending doom.”

Blake’s sensible voice spoke up, her eyes glinting with something that seemed like understanding as Yang laughed, shaking her head a little at the sudden imagination that cropped up. It was their regular style, as they grabbed each other’s hand, and Weiss tried to focus on the mission ahead of them. Ruby gave a look at her as if she wanted to talk, but it wasn’t going to be time for that now.

* * *

The backpack was slung over his shoulder, the cookies within kept safe with extra padding. He smiled at the kids that crowded around him, ready to cross the road. It was a bright point in his day, as he pulled the backpack loose.

“I’ve got something for all of you, I spent a bit of time last night... so, here’s some cookies!”

He started to hand out the bags, the different shapes that he’d made with Weiss there, remembering her face, the kiss that she’d given him being on his mind for a moment, the children happier now. He liked to see their happy faces, noticing that the moms didn’t seem to mind so much either.

_‘I’ll make sure that you’re all safe...’_

He hated to think about death because it always looped back to Pyrrha, always to that moment where he’d failed, tasting the sweetness of that kiss and then the despair of being pushed away, to land within the locker and to see her make him fly off.

“Thank you, Mister Jaune.”

He smiled, ruffling the kid's hair hair and putting the backpack back on his back.

“Glad to have made your day, kiddo. A big strong huntsman like me isn’t sad for more than a moment.”

He wouldn’t show his sadness. Winter was determined, and so would he be, even if it hurt much. There was a whisper in his ear again, that familiar voice speaking up with that utmost conviction within its depths.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

Someone’s hand laid on his back and he caught sight of his blonde friend, her eyes looking at him with a question in them.

“Where’s my cookie, huh?”

The last of the kids disappeared into the school and he looked at the woman, or rather, at the women, each giving him looks of worry. With the election fiasco, there’d been deaths, but it was something that the people of Mantle didn’t worry about, living their lives.

“I’ll get them out.”

He handed them the cookies, the small smiles giving him hope, hope that things wouldn’t be as dark, his blonde friend clearing her throat after she got her bag, tucking it into the pocket carefully, not wanting to break them.

“We’re… Well, we’ve decided that we’re taking you for coffee. No buts about it, Mister Arc. You’re getting a cup of coffee with all of us.”

He wondered if that had a special meaning or not, or whether it was just a cup of coffee. He remembered the casserole thing, and his mood changed.

“I don’t need _sex,_ if that’s what you’re offering. I only found out about the casserole thing when I said that someone could leave it behind for when we went for dinner. General Ironwood was a _little_ scandalized…”

The woman shook her head gently, as her arm wrapped around his own and another of the ladies grabbed his other arm.

“No, we- we do this when someone’s down. We just sit down and talk, talk about whatever’s the bother. You’re someone who’d be a great match for anyone, and- well, we appreciate what you’re doing for the children and us. Mantle doesn’t have many jobs that pay well for Huntsmen, and-“

He was sat down in the living room of one of the women, her husband’s mining gear still slung over one of the benches, the man being asleep, the woman’s eyes looking a little sad as she poured the coffee for them. They were with six now, and it felt a little more natural than before.

_‘Like you’re just coming home…’_

It wasn’t something that he felt was natural, but it made him _feel_.

“So… Just talk, Jaune. We’ll listen.”

_‘I can’t talk about it with you… Those secrets are secret for a reason, and to tell anyone is to betray the people of Atlas.’_

He picked up the coffee cup and then sipped it, the heat washing through his lower body and groin as the warmth continued to seep through him. A slow sensation of heat pushed through him.

“She chose her work over me. She’s… She’s a Specialist in the Atlas military, and- and she’s someone who does everything to protect you all.”

Winter was that type of person. She would safeguard the things that mattered most to her. Her mother was warm and passionate, her younger sister was defiant and warm, and…

“And… and I kissed her sister yesterday, she… she helped to make the cookies.”

A hand touched his shoulder, as he leaned heavily on the table, trying to make sense of the world. Weiss had been so strong, she’d been trying to make him feel confident, even though she might know what he felt for her older sister.

“Is there anything between the two of you? You shouldn’t do anything as a rebound, you know? Marzi had a few flings after she lost her man and- well…”

He looked at the women and sighed, shaking his head.

“I’m having tea with her sister and her and her mother in Atlas today. There’s… Let me just say that I’ve kissed all three of them on the lips, and her mom is still married to her father. Not a super marriage, though.”

There was no ‘ooh’ or ‘ahh’ sound that came, as their eyes looked resolutely and not judgmental, something in their eyes more serious than before, when it’d been flirting. He felt that he could trust them, that he had built up a rapport with them. His Scroll rang, and he noticed the number on the Scroll.

“Is something the matter?”

_‘It’s not Cinder, please don’t let it be Cinder.’_

Ren’s voice was soft, as he spoke.

“Can we talk for a bit, Jaune? Without Nora being present, in private, when you’re back from your mission and that… tea thing?”

_‘It’s serious… If Nora isn't allowed to hear...’_

He made an affirmative sound, his eyes going to his schedule, the soft ‘Thank you’ from his friend and teammate making a splash of warmth shoot through his body, knowing that he would need to help his friends out.

_‘You’re not going to die by Cinder’s hands either…’_

He was sure that there would be consequences for his actions, there was always a cause and effect in place, letting him feel that burning pain inside him at the thought of losing his team.

“For you, always. Nora too.”

They were a team and he would be the strong one… He had to make sure that they got out of this alive and that Cinder Fall rested in the grave…

_‘I won’t let anyone else die.’_

* * *

Sipping the tea with an elegant manner, she could see the unease within their eyes, Winter and Jaune seated at opposite sides of the table in the tearoom that’d been set up for their use within the finest establishment in Atlas, mother’s Lien paying for it all. Mother’s soft blend of camomille tea was a dash different from the liquor-infused tea that she drank usually, her eyes looking at the two of them furtively, as if trying to peel away the underlying issues.

“So…”

Her mother trailed off, noticing Winter’s sharp look at her, and Jaune’s gaze seemed to only lower itself.

“We are here at your request, mother.”

It was a soft hiss from Winter, raw an angry still, as Jaune’s head looked up, giving her a look.

“Winter, you should be nicer to your mother. She doesn’t deserve that tone from you.”

Her sister’s expression froze over even more, as the woman behind the mask of ice froze herself deep in that state, Weiss noticing that her sister’s hands were balled into fists.

“You’re not my partner anymore, Mister Arc. I can speak to my mother as I wish.”

Their mother gave a sad smile, patting Winter on the thigh, trying to comfort her daughter, a gesture that’d come years too late for it to really matter. It was a nice gesture, but it fell flat.

“Let’s just have an enjoyable time, shall we?”

Winter stiffened a little, her look at Jaune reciprocated with a sad one from him, as he seemed to mouth something, Winter’s lips pressing even tighter together.

“Thank you, Mrs Schnee.”

He was polite, as he should be. The guilty thought inside her mind told her that she should be introducing him as her boyfriend, the man she liked, but Winter should’ve had that right. No matter how twisted her thoughts got on the subject of blonde and manly, she knew what she would do.

“You’ve called us here with a reason, have you not?”

The woman nodded, looking at Winter.

“I’ve got another of your little video’s that I found in the boxes. Perhaps you might pick it up?”

_‘The recorded footage.’_

Her mother’s eyes were sad, and she could see Jaune trembling a little, never stopping his gaze at the woman that he’d made love to, who he’d loved and said to have loved. Winter had thought about _desertion_ from the Specialists for him… she’d seen how special he was to her and how she would’ve loved to feel more for him.

“It wouldn’t be in my best interest to visit father. We are not on the best of terms.”

Winter’s answer was logical, and she looked at her, Jaune’s hand digging within the bag that he carried with him, pulling out a small bag of cookies, cookies that she’d made with him. She remembered the kiss and flushed a little.

“Weiss and I made some cookies for you too, Winter. And… And I’ve made some for you as well, since we were going to meet with you, Mrs Schnee.”

Her mother glowed as she received the cookies, though they didn’t look anything like a professional’s work, they still were received well. Winter’s eyes looked dark and cloudy, as if she was struggling to contain herself from bursting loose with something fierce and terrible.

“Thank you, Mister Arc.”

Polite and to the point, the tone of Winter’s voice was, a shiver going through his body, a look of pain in his blue eyes, Weiss feeling the sadness.

_‘Don’t be sad, Jaune.’_

She laid a hand on his thigh, feeling the warmth of his body. It had no sexual connotation, just there to support him, and she looked at his expression, set within that smile.

“I’ll… I’ll go and pick the video up, and I’ll deliver it to Weiss. I’m… I’m just the acquaintance, so… So I’ll be there. Your little brother needs to get his cookies too. I couldn’t forget about him.”

Her mother’s hand brushed over her face for a moment, as something that sounded suspiciously like a sniffle came from her lips, the words that her mother had said to her coming back to her.

She couldn’t visit, with how Winter and father had fallen out against each other, her hand stroking over Jaune’s thigh. It was a warm feeling, and he didn’t twitch or flinch from her touch, just trying to make him feel better.

“That would be nice, Mister Arc. It is a sign of a good man who wishes to help his friends.”

He smiled, that smile looking so half-hearted that it made her ache inside, the smile not reaching his eyes, as he closed them.

“I love all of them. I’ll _never_ abandon my friends or the people I love.”

_‘You’re such a good man.’_

Winter inhaled sharply, Weiss feeling a tremor go through her thigh, the hand that she’d put on her older sister’s thigh feeling the tremors increase, as her sister trembled a little, her face composed of ice and frost, as Jaune’s eyes opened again.

He took a sip from his drink, remaining silent furthermore, not giving any further notice of his presence as he looked at them. His eyes were so sad, as her mother tried to talk to them about their lives, Winter’s short and formal answers not giving a hint to anything, but the final question…

“So, have you girls met a lovely person you’d like to be your partner?”

It was innocent and their mother was just concerned, just like they’d been younger and they’d made their own wishes for the future, but the trembling that went through Winter’s body, as her eyes looked at him.

_‘It hurts…’_

“I’ve had sex, and my partner was… satisfying, somewhat. It wouldn’t work out, because we are not _compatible_. I will find someone _better,_ eventually. He wasn’t worth my time, a _child_ , compared to _me._ It _wasn't_ enjoyable in the _slightest.”_

_‘Don’t lie, Winter. Mother and I can tell when you’re lying. You’re a horrible liar.’_

Her sister’s eyes had closed when she had said the last few sentences, opening after a moment, moistened and wet. Jaune trembled a little and he closed his eyes, taking a deep exhale, trying to keep himself from crying. Weiss felt like crying as well, as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m… I’ve got my eye on someone.”

It was fairly obvious what she meant with that, but he looked at her like a kicked puppy, the pain inside her chest continuing to swell up, the hurt stopping not for a single instant, knowing that her older sister burned with that pain as well.

Her mother, trying to mediate, was getting up. It’d been an hour. Time had gone faster than she’d expected.

“I’ll never leave you alone, Winter.”

Winter’s eyes widened and her eyes closed in a pained grimace, as Jaune looked at her, taking her hand. It was pain, before her eyes firmed and she pulled her hand away from him. Winter the Specialist spoke.

“We are _incompatible_ , Mister Arc. You were a nice _fancy_ , a bit of _entertainment_. It was _fun,_ but now it is _over_.”

The pain in those eyes, that incredible, sharp and terrible pain, as she could imagine his heart shattering into even more brittle pieces like the mirror that she’d seen shatter before, continued.

“O- _okay._ I’ll… I’ll still keep my word, Winter. I’ll _never_ leave you or your sister alone, if I can lend some assistance. I’ve given my word and I’ll keep it.”

Her sister looked at him and her eyes were dark. There was so much in those eyes that she’d never seen before, a dark brooding fatalistic streak that looked like it’d been borne anew.

“I _will_ file a restraining order against you if you _persist_ , Mister Arc. Stalking is _unbecoming_ of a professional Huntsman.”

He nodded, and he turned away, his shoulders shaking a few times, as his hand wiped over his face. She could see how he fought to keep his pain contained, and she saw him rise. Her mother looked worried, concerned for him and for her daughter, unaware undoubtedly of what’d went on.

“Mister Arc, if you’d like to follow me? Let’s see about getting my son his home-made cookies, alright?”

Winter cleared her throat. She sounded very cool in her tone, but Weiss could hear the cracks starting to form in her voice.

“I will pay the bill, Mother.”

The woman nodded, pushing Jaune out of the door, seemingly to let Winter have her moment. Mother always knew whether something was wrong. Before Jaune was gone, he turned his head and looked at Winter with that trusting, caring look before he spoke to her older sister.

 _“Never_ alone.”

Her sister’s expression shattered, as the tears came and her mother ushered him through the door, Winter’s elbows on the table as the tears streamed freely, her soft mournful sobs coming from her mouth, her hands pushed into her hair, loosening it as the tears dripped down her nose onto the table.

Weiss scooted her chair a little closer, letting her hand touch her sister. A hiccup, something that came from the heart, something that was terrible to think about and yet was happening, starting up as her sister wept.

“I _can’t_ do it, Weiss. I _have_ to, but- but… Love him, _please_.”

Her sister’s eyes looked into her own, the last word whispered with a plea. A shuddering breath was given, as her sister’s arms wrapped around her and she was pulled with more force than she’d imagine Winter to have, as her sister’s stuttering exhales led to more tears.

“Love him, because I’m so _afraid_. He’s… He’s so _kind_. I’ll fall in love, over and over again, because he’s so _genuine.”_

A shiver went through her older sister, who leaned against her, a slow pained moan coming from her lips at the thought of something, as Winter’s fingers hurt as they grabbed a hold of her.

“I’m so afraid, Weiss. I’m so _afraid_. Love him, okay? Love him, before I do something _terrible_. I _have_ to. I’ve got to be and-, and… And-“

A soft sobbing ‘ah-hah-haaahwahhh’ came from her sister’s lips, her sister leaning against her heavily, Weiss feeling the weight of her older sister rest on her.

“I’ll love him, Winter.”

She could hear her sister’s attempt at controlling her breathing, at making sure that she could speak again, only hearing the pain in her voice.

“I feel so _jealous_ of you, Weiss. You can _love_ , and I _can’t_. He’ll… He’ll be _so_ good for you, I…”

She just held her sister, despite the pain in her ribs, that pain that didn’t go away as her sister shifted her grip a little, the burden that continued with every moment that she was held.

_‘I know, Winter…’_

Her older sister held her for a while, Weiss patting her on the back, hoping that things would be better. The Maiden business was something that Weiss hoped would be over soon…

_‘You sacrifice so much, Winter…’_

* * *

They stepped out of the limousine, the driver continuing towards the garage to park it. Willow’s steps were slow and steady, her eyes looking calmly. He hadn’t spoken to her on the trip to the manor, the large lane that led up to the house full of trees that he knew were well-cared for. Appearances were to be kept up.

The small bag with cookies in his hands for Whitley was enough, as he spotted the young teenager sitting on the steps of the stairs leading up. A stand-offish look was given, as he held out the bag with the blue name tag, mustering a smile that was definitely the best that he could give.

“I’ve made some cookies together with your youngest sister, and… And I thought you might like some. Cookies make everyone’s day brighter.”

Surprise, a hint of something that- ah, there it was, interest- flickered away, as the snooty look came to the young man’s face.

“I did not need cookies, Mister… Arc, was it?”

He smiled, as Willow plucked one of the cookies out of the bag that she’d gotten and gave her son a warm smile.

“Be polite, Whitley. Mister Arc has made an effort with Weiss to make these.”

Her voice sounded a little stricter, but the maternal smile on her lips did not fade for an instant, her eyes looking into his own for a flash of a moment, something in those eyes changing, the cookie bitten into, something in those eyes helpless, like a bird with its wing broken.

“Thank you, Mister Arc.”

Whitley Schnee was polite, the hesitant look in those eyes much like his older sister. He was afraid as well, and he knew that sometimes, you just had to take the first step.

“Don’t feel obligated to be polite, Whitley. I’m- I used to-“

He floundered, and Willow came to his rescue. She swallowed the cookie, looking at him with a look that was warm, her hands coming to rest on Whitley’s shoulders.

“It’s time for you to go to your lessons, Whitley. Mister Monet will be arriving soon.”

Whitley’s eyes darkened, something deep in them changing to show the hurt he felt, Jaune recognizing it. It was just like with Winter and Weiss, and he grabbed Whitley’s shoulders, as he mustered a smile for the woman’s ease, keeping his hands firmly onto the youngest Schnee child’s shoulders.

“Now, I’m sure they can be skipped. I’d like to- I’d like to meet the young man who was nearly going to be my brother in law. You’ve got beautiful sisters, Whitley, almost as beautiful as your mother is.”

It was flattery, more than he’d regularly use, but it’d work. There was something in those eyes, imploring his mother, whose lips pressed tightly together. Jaune knew that she wanted to be in the life of her children again, to be a _mother_.

_‘I said I’d be there for her family.’_

“ _Mother_?”

It was a child’s voice, questioning its mother, not the fourteen-year-old that stood there. Whitley’s eyes looked pleadingly, not as sure as he was. His hands were behind his back, and Jaune thought he was fidgeting.

“I’ll inform your tutor that you have a sudden obligation, Whitley. Your father would not approve, but… I suppose that you may just have to help your mother with cleaning her room. It got… it got a little messier, after all.”

It was an excuse, for Whitley to spend some time with someone who wasn’t expecting something of him, and with her being there to be a mother. It showed just how hurt she was, recalling that experience in that room. He’d broken her husband’s desk, and now, he felt like it’d all been a comfortable dream, when she’d dismissed him and… and things had _changed_.

The couch that they sat upon suited three people just as well as it did two, Whitley’s eyes looking much like his sisters’ in the way of intelligent shrewdness, as his mother sat on the opposite side of her.

“You were dating my sister? Which one?”

It was a question, clear and to the point, something in the young teenager’s eyes holding more questions than answers would be provided.

“Winter, she…”

A smile was on his lips as he remembered the good times with her. It hurt, it hurt so much to see her on a course straight towards her own death, but he was not going to dismiss her or her family that easy.

“We broke up yesterday morning. We weren’t _compatible_ , according to her.”

There was understanding in the young teenager’s eyes, but the answer was polite and formal, spoken at a tone that was too old for a child to use.

“Regrettable, Mister Arc.”

He mustered a smile even though the hurt inside his chest continued to beat. He’d thought that he’d found love again, and now it’d been shattered.

“Call me Jaune. I’m… I’m not feeling like I'm 'Mister Arc' _yet._ When I went to my sister’s house, she was upset. She’s… she’s one of my oldest sisters. We went on trips together, but ever since… Since…”

_‘Since the world went crazy and we’ve learned of the destiny of the world…’_

His expression shifted a little, as he sighed deeply. He hoped that Saphron was alright, her and her wife and little Adrian.

“Since Beacon, I’ve not been in touch, except for a brief visit to Argus to visit my sister and her wife. They… I know that they would’ve _loved_ to meet your sister. Winter loves you all, even if she can’t show it.”

It was true, because the woman that he’d made love to, who had been so happy dancing, did not say it aloud, her body shivering with his touch at times and loving being intimate with him. He remembered it, taking a deep breath and then feeling someone touch his hand.

“Do you need a tissue?”

Whitley Schnee inquired, holding one out. All the haughtiness and distance had disappeared and there was just a boy sitting there, offering a handkerchief that had embroidery of WS upon it. He took the handkerchief and wiped at his eyes, aware that it was a pretty big faux pas, and-

“She must have had her reasons. Winter is someone who never makes decisions without considering every other alternative, aside from wishing to avoid father.”

Willow made a sound that was chastising in her throat, Whitley’s eyes looking at his mother before they returned to him. A soft sigh came from him, as he looked at Jaune for a moment, as a small smile came to his face.

“You’re someone who cares for my sister, so I will… I will say this as her younger brother. Hurt a member of my family and you will find the Schnee Dust Company’s services barred from you, Mister Arc. We are still _Schnee_ and we _must_ be the _best_.”

It sounded so important, so assured, so much like _Weiss_ and _Winter_ that he started to laugh, feeling his mood lighten a little, as Whitley’s eyes glanced at him, a look on his face that was different from before.

“Your sisters would say it at _just_ the same tone, Whitley. You’re definitely your mother’s son.”

He saw the smile before it was squashed again by the mask that slipped into place again, Willow’s expression sedate and calm, not showing much more than just a mother’s observation, the woman’s eyes begging him to continue, to keep connecting with the son that she loved so dearly, with the daughters that she loved.

“I _am_ the heir to the company.”

A haughty twist of the chin, eyes that looked resolute and driven, looking at him with a question that went unasked, but he could see it.

_‘And your sister will be dead…’_

He wouldn’t let that happen. No matter how he would do it, he would make sure that they would be together again as a family. He grabbed Whitley’s hand and pushed his Aura into the young man, smiling at him and trying to send all the warmth he could muster to Whitley. It was a look in those eyes that made him feel upset for the young teenager, something that should not be within the eyes of the youngest child to Willow Schnee.

“You’re whoever you _want_ to be, Whitley. Your mother loves you, just as much as your sisters love you.”

It was a tiny trembling that started from the hand, and a small nod, as the eyes turned to ice and the haughty expression returned. A flash of weakness, squashed with ruthless efficiency. He could see Willow’s face fall, her hopes dashed, if she’d ever held hopes at this moment.

“I’d best go find that thing for Weiss. It’d be a _shame_ if she _forgot…”_

Willow made to leave the room, before she could add fuel to that particular fire, avoiding the issue, just as her daughter did. Weiss would be defiant, but Winter would be avoidant.

“I’ll… I’ll show you my room, Mister Arc. Mother… Mother, I’ll return with Mister A- With Jaune in five minutes. Maybe ten, or fifteen. Search for- search for that thing Weiss wishes to have, Mother.”

There was something in the youngest child of Willow Schnee’s eyes that roiled and twisted, something that seemed to bring with it a deep sensation of loss, as the proper child rose from his seat and then walked out of the bedroom of his mother, Willow giving him a helpless look, telling him to go with her child.

_‘Let’s see your room.’_

It was a bland room, a single bed that stood there against a wall, pictures on the wall of Whitley and his father, and Whitley and his mother and one with his mother and father, clearly taken at a young age, when there was still that joy in the child’s eyes, now only replaced with that despair that had seemed so terribly empty in those eyes.

“So… So this is my room, Mister Arc. I- I'd like to show you something. Can I _trust_ you?”

A soft question, as blue eyes, set in a face so different from Weiss and Winter’s and yet so similar in their gaze, watched him, hesitant and a little afraid of being judged. Like one of the children under his care, the youngest Schnee looked at him with that fear in his eyes that feared dismissal.

“I told your sister that I’d be there for her forever and that counts for her family as well, you, your mother and your older sisters. I don’t give out empty promises, Whitley. Anything you say to me will be between the two of us.”

A small smile, something that made the young man look like he was trusting his judgment. There was a soft movement of the lips, close to a smile before it faded, before he saw the young man rise.

“Could you… Could you leave the room, for maybe… five minutes? I need to- I need to _prepare_ something, and-“

He nodded, giving Whitley a pat to the shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Whatever it was, it might be something that you couldn’t show your mother or father, but someone closer to you in age might like it. He stood outside the door, waiting patiently for Whitley to let him in again.

“Is Mister Schnee in his room?”

A strict-looking and stern-faced man asked, looking at him, Jaune’s eyes looking the man over and he nodded.

“Not feeling well, I’m afraid. Mrs Schnee said that I should be there to make sure that he’d get whatever he needed, and- Well, sometimes it’s better to let a young man rest.”

The strict features of the man didn’t relax, and Jaune stepped in front of the door.

“I’m afraid that Mister Schnee has said that his son should be at his lessons, and he is already _late_.”

He looked at the man and gave his best ‘big brother’ look. He raised his voice a little, to properly call to attention that he wasn’t going to be moving.

 _“Mrs_ Schnee has said that her son needs rest, Mister. If I’ve got to make sure that he can get some extra sleep, I’ll stand in front of this door all day and night. Moms trump dads in this case, or at least that’s how my grandmother explained it.”

The door that led to Willow’s room opened, the woman emerging with a faint swagger to her motions, exaggerated, Jaune could tell.

“He feels a little under the weather. He might’ve caught something at the festivities earlier in the week, and it is regrettable that he’s not able to see to your lessons, Mister Monet.”

The man made an understanding sound, before he pulled out something, a written note.

“The three chapters mentioned here. There will be a quiz on it the day after tomorrow.”

He caught sight of Willow ducking back into her room, the man disappearing again, just as silent as he’d come. A deep sigh came from his lips as he realized that Willow was avoiding her son again.

_‘I’m glad that I’m not like this with my family.’_

The door opened slightly. He turned to the door, hearing a soft exhale, as if the young teenager behind the door was psyching himself up for something. Whatever Jaune was going to see, it must’ve made the kid nervous.

“You… You may enter after- after a minute, Mist- Jaune.”

He counted the seconds, the door still left on that creak, as he waited. It must be something personal, he supposed, and on the moment that a minute had passed, he gave another ten ticks of that mental clock, before he pushed open the door.

The room had not changed one bit, but the pictures had. A framed picture of Winter and Weiss together with Whitley had replaced the one of Whitley and his father on the desk, and a picture of Whitley and Willow had been replaced by a picture of Winter and a very young Whitley. A single picture of Whitley and Weiss, the latter in one of the fanciest dresses that he'd seen, holding what seemed to be an album at some award ceremony, was hung there, the picture of Winter and Whitley at the side, going down in age, a single picture of the young teen himself wearing a miniature version of his father's suit sans red handkerchief at the least.

In the centre of the room, Whitley stood. Jaune recognized the dress as something that Weiss had worn whilst they were in the house in Mistral, when he’d met her again for the first time in a year. The makeup was on-point as well, even a small hint of red on the lips, the wig that was worn perfectly made up, the blue eyes looking hesitantly at him, as if it was a secret too big to be laughed at.

“Jaune, take a seat.”

It was near-perfect as far as an imitation of Weiss went, but it was _not_. It would never hold the intimacy that Weiss held in her voice, it would not be what Weiss had wanted. There was _fear_ in those blue eyes, fear of rejection, of being laughed at.

He sat down on the seat, and the scared boy stared at him, made up to look like his older sister. He could understand it, being one of the youngest of eight, being the child that never had to really worry about being unloved because his sisters had been overly affectionate in their love. He had the picture that Saphron had at her home in Argus saved onto his Scroll, the last picture where they'd all been still together as children. 

“I… I like to play dress-up, to- to _talk_ to them, as if-. It’s- Father leaves me _alone_ at night, and- and- And I’d hoped that she’d _stay_ , that she’d-“

Tears, starting to come from the younger teenager’s eyes, Jaune up in a flash. The professionally-made wig that he felt was soft, his hand brushing over the youngest child in the Schnee family’s back. There was a trembling, Jaune noticed, as the young teen started to speak once again.

“I talk to myself, thinking about what they’d say to me if they were still here. Mother… Mother _cannot_ do a thing, and- Hello, Whitley, have you had a good day? Were the lessons hard today, or did you have an easy time with the material?”

The trembling form who'd spoken those words in mimicry of his mother's voice was at its wits end, as he felt a deep welling up of sympathy. He made a soft shushing sound, aware of how tough it must’ve been for Whitley to be alone in a house with a mother who could not do a thing.

“She _loves_ you, Whitley. No matter what, she’ll love you because she’s your big sister.”

It was the thing to say, the thing he should, and he knew that Weiss and Winter felt the same, deep within. They weren't cold at all, beyond their exterior, loving and kind. The tremors didn’t stop, as the young man looked up with doubt and fear in his eyes, sniffling a little. It happened, you were sad at times. Jaune never had time to think, never had to worry about that feeling of love from his sisters because it was always there.

“She _would_ … She would, and you’ll… You’ll make _her_ happy too? If things between Winter and you didn’t work out… if-“

There was fear, there was something more than fear in those eyes. He smiled, trying to comfort the best way that he could. He was a big brother figure now, and he’d… He’d slept with the younger teenager’s mother and sister.

He felt responsible.

“Of course. I don’t go back on my promises.”

The young boy dressed in a dress and looking very much like his older sister shivered a little, his expression pained, before it firmed up.

“I… Give me another five minutes.”

He left the room without another word, and he waited, his head leaning against the door, his back to it, the hardwood door looking like it was a refuge, and he could see that Whitley needed it, because to the world that was so cold, there was only a door for a shield.

“Enter.”

Winter’s voice, roughly imitated, and he caught sight of the Specialist’s outfit that’d been obtained, entirely too big in certain parts and yet fitting. Whitley did not have one ounce of the muscle that his older sister had, but it fit, the wig looking perfect, the face made up slightly different. Winter would never be able to quite do it like that, but it was better.

_‘He’s got talent in makeup and acting…’_

“I’m… I wonder if she’d _disapprove._ I wonder if she’d _disapprove and-_ And _whether_ I’m-“

He wrapped his arms around the young man again in a hug. He didn’t mind it one bit. Whitley did what he had to, in order to cope with the world. He remembered the video of Pyrrha, watching it every night, trying to improve and become even better than the night before.

Many times had he re-watched the sequence, and he could say every word by heart how often he’d heard them, as his hold on the young teen tightened.

“Of _course_ not, Whitley. Winter… Winter is one of the most beautiful women I know.”

He’d never doubt that. She was magical, like a princess. She’d _be_ magical, like a Maiden…

“Can you come and visit us again, Jaune?”

It was an honest plea, and he smiled, looking into the teary eyes, the garb and the hair like Winter’s, but the scared boy who wished for his sisters to be home again behind those blue eyes.

“Of course. I told your sister that I would make sure that you all would be happy, that I’d never let her be alone to face danger, and that goes for your older sister Weiss as well, and you too. Family is a great gift.”

He was _not_ going to make Whitley lose one of his sisters. He wasn’t going to tear this family apart with the death of one of their daughters, simply because _Cinder Fall_ had a murderous urge for a Maiden's power.

“I’ll… I’ll get dressed _properly_ again. I… I wished to _show_ you, wh-“

The voice was Winter’s, in an eerie simile, as blue eyes looked into his own, the jacket pulled loose and revealing pale skin, a rough scrubbing of the young teenager's face with something made to remove makeup, as Jaune merely watched before he decided to leave the room to give the young teen some privacy.

_‘I feel really bad for you, Whitley.’_

A creak of the door and Whitley’s ‘come in, Mister Arc’ was heard, and he entered to find the room as if nothing was amiss, the pictures put back in their proper order, without even the barest hint that they’d been different before. The closet’s door was slightly ajar, showing the dress and the Specialist’s uniform, Weiss’ Beacon outfit hung on a peg as well. He saw something that looked like it’d belong to Willow as well, hung there, similar to the clothing she’d worn on the full family portrait that’d been hung in the hallway.

_‘How long has this been going on?’_

He felt worse now, as Whitley looked at him with eyes that seemed to want to trust him. The young man asked again, phrasing it differently than before.

“Will you come and visit me again?”

He nodded and Whitley smiled, a genuine smile that reached his eyes. Jaune would come again, of course. He’d make sure that Whitley wouldn’t be alone. Nobody deserved to be the only child left in an empty home.

“Bring… bring _Weiss_ with you, just as mother requested of you, after… After the party had nearly concluded and- and you two had broken Father’s desk. A… A servant nearly intruded upon the two of you, but I shepherded them away with a request, just as- just as I was fixing my clothing after that- that little debacle. It was… It would _not_ have been _favourable_ for _mother_.”

Surprise showed on his face, as the youngest Schnee child blushed a deep red, his eyes going everywhere but at him. That meant that it’d been discovered that he’d fucked Willow Schnee so roughly that the desk had collapsed.

“It was- Mother has been _warmer_ , since. Bring my sister with you and… and fulfil mother’s request, Mister Arc. I would have told father, but- But- My sisters are _still_ my sisters, and- and Mother has been _warmer_. We've... we've talked more in the past three days than in a month.”

He smiled, trying to comfort the young guy, keeping the smile on his face. Internally, he was thanking the Gods for the blessing that Whitley had kept silent, because it’d have been really bad if that’d come out.

“I’ll… I’ll bring her over soon. Winter and I may be no longer in a relationship, if it'd ever been one, but… But I’m sure that Weiss would not mind asking you about how your day was. I won’t tell anyone about this, okay?”

Whitley’s small smile was boyish and much like his sisters’ when she smiled, as he ran a hand through Whitley’s hair, a gesture that he’d done with Winter as well, knowing that it calmed her down.

“Thank you. I knew that you would not _judge,_ that you- that you _love_ my sisters.”

It was a strange thing, love. A warmer smile came from his lips, his eyes meeting the youngest Schnee’s for a fragment of a second before they lowered again.

_‘I won’t let them take Winter or Weiss from you, Whitley.’_

“Anything for the happiness of my friends.”

He felt the hug from the younger teenager, as he stiffened a little from the sudden force, his eyes closing.

_‘Anything.’_

He hugged back, exhaling slowly to gather himself again. He knew that there would be a Schnee family that needed to be reunited, to be brought together after they'd hid away from a monster that'd invaded their home.

* * *

He joined Willow with Whitley again, Willow’s eyes soft, as she looked at her only son, sighing softly.

“Did you have a nice time showing him your room, Whitley?”

The smile on Whitley’s face was a lot more genuine than the one of before, as the youngest Schnee child nodded.

“He will be bringing Weiss home with him next time, mother. He _promised_ to.”

He smiled at Willow, whose features looked more pensive all of a sudden, before a small smile twitched on her lips. Her eyes looked at him darkly for a moment, before the smile broadened and the years seemed to fall off her like water off the roof, her hand taking his own, the fancy clothing that she wore making her look much like her daughter.

“Then I look forward to you bringing my daughter home to us, Mister Arc.”

He smiled in return, looking into the woman’s pale eyes for the longest of moments, before she seemed to register something, her eyes looking him over.

“Might I suggest wearing something a little less weighty _,_ Mister Arc? Armour is a bit… too _cumbersome,_ this time of year. Though I will say…”

A hand laid itself against the breastplate, stroking over it for a moment, before she touched his chin, stroking affectionately over it. He was as hard as steel below, his erection already straining, just from that simple touch. She had that look on her face, the same look that Winter could also have, and the thought of how the sex had felt with the daughter whilst contrasted with her mother… well, it would be a lie if he wasn’t feeling hot under the collar with that sudden touch.

“I _like_ the sight of a man in armour.”

Whitley made a face as his mother smiled and gave a small wink, as if it were to be merely a tease, but he felt extremely tight in the pants. Winter and Willow had that same matured vibe, that feeling of emptiness… But they expressed it in different ways.

“I’ll… I’ll mind my dress, Mrs Schnee.”

The coy little smile, as her fingers brushed through his hair and her soft voice spoke at a bare whisper.

“The file is on the drive, third folder in the map.”

He flushed, as her fingers traced over his ear, a shivering groan coming from his lips, the tinkling laughter that she gave being like the sun rising over the morning, as something that might be genuine joy entered her features. He felt something be put in his pocket, the hand brushing over his side, seemingly to stroke over it.

“Please do _not_ wear a _dress,_ Mister Arc. Weiss has… she has _spoken_ of your escapade in the dress in a brief communiqué during your first year.”

He flushed a little, before he mustered a smile for the woman who was a mother of three and the mother of his ex-girlfriend, if they'd ever been like that.

“At least my partner was happy? We killed it with our synchronized dance, though.”

Whitley smiled softly, as a look that seemed to be a knowing one, was sent at him. Jaune felt bad for the Schnee family, knowing that he would have to see them be torn apart if Winter was killed by Cinder…

_‘I’m not going to let that happen, Cinder… I’m not going to let you mess this family up… Willow would drink again, Whitley would retreat into himself and Weiss? Weiss would never be the same again…’_

Winter was going to be the Winter Maiden, and there was nothing that he could do to stop it, except stopping Cinder.

He was unaware of it, but Willow Schnee was looking at his face, a contemplative look on her face as she stared at his features, currently set within a look that was half-brooding and contemplative, giving a small nod to herself.

“Heavy thoughts, Mister Arc?”

He snapped to attention, something half-formed ghosting along the edges of his mind. With the election results in Jacques’ favour like this, it would take time for the process to be finalized…

“Just… Just a bit of a mood about breaking up with your daughter, Mrs Schnee.”

She tapped his nose, perhaps a touch playfully, as she smiled with that warm smile that she’d only had when talking about her children. Whitley’s eyes looked a little moist as his mother turned to him, holding out a hand.

“Whitley? How about we go and get you some tea, so we can sample Mister Arc’s cookies? Mister Arc? I do hope you bring my daughter around… it would be delightful to have you here with us for tea sometime. Perhaps tomorrow?”

Her eyes were warmer, motherly and proud of her son, as Whitley’s hand grabbed his mother’s, and Jaune smiled at Willow, stepping forward and pushing his Aura into the two Schnee’s, the glow similar in their way, Willow’s eyes grateful, as she seemed to be infused with a little more zest for life.

“Thank you, Mister Arc. Allow us to escort you to the door, before we get our tea. It is polite to allow guests to leave.”

He was in a car back to Atlas Academy before he’d had time to realize that she’d said it as ‘allow guests to leave’, which implied that it wasn’t always the case, when the Schnee family wasn’t polite.

* * *

Jaune caught Ren standing there at the entrance to Atlas Academy, waiting for him, his eyes looking grim and not as warm as before. They were conflicted and heavy in their emotions, rare for his best male friend.

“Can we talk, Jaune?”

Jaune mustered a smile, as much as he could. This didn’t fill him with a positive feeling at all, given how tired Ren looked and how that look seemed to contain only the darker emotions, the Semblance not active yet.

“Of course, Ren. Let’s go for a walk, shall we?”

_‘I hope it’s nothing bad…’_

His friend needed him, and that was important. He’d think about the solution to his dilemmas in the morning. Now, he was there as a friend and team leader.

“Nora and I did… we had- the _fight…_ and-“

The look on his friend’s face was sad and he sighed deeply.

“And I may have said a few words in the heat of the argument that I _definitely_ regret now, Jaune.”

That wasn’t good. He could work with that though. People had fights all the time without ever meaning to, so there might be a solution there as well. All you needed was the right thing, and he’d have a good long talk with Ren.

* * *

Entering their dorm room again and spotting Nora laying face-down on the bed, looking at him and then at Ren, her usually so high-spirited cheerfulness now absent, a near-palpable wave of depressiveness around her.

“Nora? Ren has something to say to you. Do you want to listen to him?”

She looked at him for a moment, only at him. Blue eyes that trusted him, as her eyes looked away.

“I’m still sad, Jaune. I… I think I need a warm shower first. A-after that, I’ll listen to him, o-okay?”

Ren nodded, calm and even. Jaune laid a supportive hand on Ren’s shoulder, knowing that it shouldn’t be like this between the two. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, and you occasionally fought together about stupid stuff like this.

“I’ll be here for you two, Nora.”

Nora’s eyes looked at Ren, getting off the bed and then sighing.

“I’m _still_ sad, Ren. I’m- No, I need to shower first.”

Jaune could see that Oscar looked very uncomfortable, his eyes looking at the door to the bathroom which closed when Nora was gone for her shower.

“She was very upset, though I’m not sure what the cause was. She was crying, loudly, but wouldn't tell me what was wrong.”

Ren looked guilty, as he should. Nora had all the right to be upset with him after what he’d said to her, and it was not something that could easily be dismissed. He blamed himself, and Jaune knew that it'd take time to mend.

_‘Ren…’_

“I… I said something in the heat of anger, something that she didn’t like. I- I feel very bad about it, but it just- It was true, it wasn’t that I wanted to deny it, but it was _true.”_

Jaune could feel that hurt in his friend’s voice, the door opening and Nora, wearing her pyjamas, entered, her hair still damp. She looked at her boyfriend and her eyes were hurt and angry and sad at the same time.

“That hurt me _so_ deeply, Ren. Don’t you _know_ that? But- But I’ll give you your wish. Go, go _on_. Find the girl that’s _quiet,_ that doesn’t _argue,_ and date _her_. I’ll never be the quiet little lotus blossom that you like, _anyways._ Always _excited_ , right? Never able to _shut_ up, _right? Fine._ We’re _over_ , Ren. You got your wish! If I'm not wanted, I'm going to _leave!_ ”

She stormed out, Ren’s eyes wide as he moved to go after her, going for the door but it slammed back, nearly splitting in half from the force used. Nora hadn’t moderated her strength at all.

_‘You didn’t tell me that, Ren…’_

He saw his friend collapse onto his knees, the tears coming, even as the pale skin showed that the Semblance was active.

“But- But? I never-”

He looked at Ren, before he turned to the door to find Nora. She had run off, so it was time to track her down.

He’d have to find her before she did something stupid.

_‘I won’t let any of you die, Ren, Nora…’_

They were _his_ team.

* * *

**The breakdown between Ren and Nora that’d been simmering in the background finally happened.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like!**


	8. Dress-up Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surviving Hurricane Nora, a serious chat and a visit to the Schnee household!

**Well... There's pain in this one. Some pleasure too.**

* * *

“Nora!”

He was half-way down the hallway, watching her turn her head, her eyes wet with tears. He felt worried, aware that she’d been hurt by Ren’s delivery of those words. Relationships had rocky patches, he knew. They weren’t always the happy life that people saw on the television.

She continued, and he called out to her again. He didn’t know whether she had any destination, but it was clear to him that she was emotional enough to become even more erratic. She pushed past a pair of students roughly, a half-growl coming from her lips, as he watched her speed up.

_‘I always forget that she’s light and nimble and strong...’_

He only caught up to her outside, grabbing her by the arm and holding on to it. Her eyes looked at him, tear-filled, her eyes looking at him.

“What’s the point, Jaune? What’s the _point,_ if it hurts me like this?”

He knew that she would see sense eventually, but sometimes it was hard to rein in her emotional outbursts, and he felt himself be thrown to the ground with a wild swing of her arm, his grip lost. He got up again, watching Nora walk to the edge of the Academy’s grounds. Below, Mantle loomed, the smoke from the industrial districts curling up in the distance, as she stood there, her ginger hair ablaze with the hopes that had crumbled, her eyes looking at him with a look, as she moved closer to the edge.

_‘Oh no, not like this-‘_

“Nora, _stop_.”

His eyes met hers, as they nearly glowed in the darkness, the lights of the Academy illuminating the space on which they stood, her eyes meeting his own as she stood there at that edge, looking out over the whiteness beyond the walls of Mantle.

“What’s the _point_ , Jaune? What’s the _point?!_ ”

He walked closer to her, his steps non-threatening, her eyes looking a little wetter, the tears freezing on her face due to the high altitude, sliding down her cheeks like droplets of crystallized pain. He looked at her and then wrapped her in a hug, his heart riddled with guilt and pain. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, they were together-together, and it wasn’t-

_'It's all my fault.'_

His Aura filled her and she gasped, nuzzling her head in his shoulder. His mouth close to her ear, he whispered in her ear the words that he had been meaning to say, but had forgotten. She stiffened a little and then nudged herself against him, her body holding him closer than before, the whispered response to his words like a question, but with much pain in it.

“It’ll be okay... It’ll be okay, Nora. You can talk it out, and-“

She turned her head away, knowing that it would be a bad talk anyways. Ren wasn’t the easiest to get along with if his head was set on something and Nora was hurt, and he felt the pain in her as his Aura pushed deep into her whole body, letting him surge the pulses of heat into her skin and bones.

“No, _no_ , I’m still _hurt_ , damn it. That hurt me _so_ badly, I-“

His hand rubbed over her back, trying to comfort her more, trying to make her see sense. His eyes looked into her own and she gave a trembling smile, trying to keep the happy look on her face, yet her eyes tearing up still.

“I’m sorry, I’m-“

She looked at him and her eyes firmed.

“No, _no_ , you’re _not_ apologizing to me! He said it, _not_ you! I’m _not_ going to-“

She sighed, shaking her head, turning her gaze to him and looking at him with a pleading look, Jaune’s heart even heavier now that he could see those eyes of hers glimmer with the unshed tears that had yet to come. It was pain, raw pain, and he’d seen his friends hurt again.

_‘I’m sorry.’_

The words were familiar, spoken by their former team member, as he whispered them at her, Nora’s eyes turning harder and colder. He had messed up, and Ren had been harsh. Was he even fit to be a leader, with these circumstances? Was all of it just inevitable?

“Get me to team RWBY’s room. I’ll bunk with them tonight... I don’t... I don’t want to see him, I don’t want to _talk_ to _him.”_

He understood, the pain so raw that she was like an open wound, like he’d been. Ren must’ve been hitting at the core, and he felt responsible for it. He was just the funny guy, he was just the guy who always was the butt of a joke and seeing his brother and sister in spirit in pain was like a stab to the gut.

“I’m sorry, Nora, I-“

She looked at him, her eyes pained, her finger poking against his chest a few times. It didn’t feel very uncomfortable due to the breastplate still in the way, but her eyes pierced.

“Don’t be _sorry_ , mister. _You’re_ the guy who we trust. Don’t _ever_ be sorry for being our leader. We’d _die_ for you, Jaune.”

He didn’t want them to die. His arms pulled her a little closer and he looked out over the white wastes, aware that she was calming down a little. Her head rested against his breastplate, as she whispered softly.

“Sorry. I’m... I’m really impulsive, aren’t I?”

He shook his head, as she sniffled a little.

“He was _right_ with that, and- and... And I’m too quick to get angry too. Not very _ladylike,_ right?”

He started to guide her away from the edge, aware that she was talking, aware that she was opening up again. He felt bad for her, because he’d caused it. He’d been the one at fault, he’d been the one who’d dragged the two of them into bed the last night after having a chat, he’d...

_‘This is such a mess.’_

He knocked on team RWBY’s dorm door, looking at them, Nora’s eyes still a little damp. She looked broken and hurt, and he was aware of it poignantly. Ruby opened the door and he tried for a smile, but it never really arrived.

“Hey, do you think Nora can bunk with you for a bit?”

It was a gamble, he knew, but they’d not judge. She was a girl who’d been hurt by Ren, and he could see the concern in her eyes.

“Ren and I broke up.”

Nora, in a pitiful voice, spoke up and Ruby’s eyes were filled for a moment with that sadness, as she opened the door a little further.

“Come in, Jaune, eh... Take care of Ren, okay?”

He looked at Ruby’s face and nodded. This was going to be a conversation he wasn’t really looking forward to, as Nora started to sniffle again when someone asked what’d happened.

_‘I’m so sorry, Nora.’_

He opened the door, looking at Ren. There were two smoothies already standing on the table, and he saw Oscar looking a little dubiously, as Ren looked down at the third smoothie that he was making. A fourth glass sat, but it wasn’t filled yet. Jaune motioned for Oscar to come a little closer, his eyes concerned.

_‘Alright...’_

“Let’s have a smoothie, Oscar. These are for us, right?”

Ren gave a soft nod, as Jaune looked at Oscar and gave a small smile, though he barely felt it, the grim feelings inside him still there. Nora hated the smoothies that Ren made, saying that they were full of pond slime.

“It’s full of nutrients, I... I thought it’d be nice to have.”

He looked at Ren, who held out a glass of smoothie out to Oscar, who took it, hesitatingly smiling at Ren, who looked his normal stoic self, but those eyes were shrouded in those heavy emotions, as Jaune watched Oscar drink the smoothie.

“Yeah, let’s... let’s have a smoothie.”

He took a drink from the smoothie, the taste of the ‘all-organic’ components making him mentally wish that things were at least a little bit more appetizing, but Ren’s eyes were clear. He could feel his Aura respond immediately as he laid a hand on his friend, letting the warmth wash over him. Oscar looked a little out of it, a bit forlorn, as the younger teenager yawned. Jaune looked at the clock, before he sighed.

“She’ll be at team RWBY’s dorm for a night... and she might talk to you in the morning, Ren.”

The sad look in Ren’s eyes did not change, as Jaune checked his Scroll and then started to get out of his armour, watching Oscar make a softly mumbled ‘Good night’ as he dropped down into his bunk, Jaune’s eyes going to Ren, hearing Oscar pass out already, turning around to find some rest.

_‘I feel like I’m at fault.’_

Talking with Ren earlier had been rough, but it had been necessary, it had been _needed_. There was a need for Ren to know how _he_ looked at their relationship.

“I really messed up. I’m sorry, but-“

He laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder, shaking his head.

“No, I’m the one at fault. I should’ve said something earlier, I am- I’m sorry for last night and- and I’m sorry for not waking you up in time.”

Ren looked at him with that trust in his eyes, and Jaune firmed his resolved, knowing that it was going to be a tough few days ahead of him. He would do _anything_ to make sure that team JNR was alright again.

“It’s- It’s okay. We’ll get through this. We’re... We’re strong together. You’re stronger than both of us, Jaune. I can’t imagine how-“

_‘No, you can’t.’_

He took a deep breath and then looked into his friend’s eyes.

“We’re team JNPR, Ren. We’re a team together, even with Pyrrha only as a fond memory.”

A small bow of respect from his friend was given Jaune turned to his bunk, grabbing the pack that he’d abandoned there earlier, rifling through the contents, giving Ren a look and then nodding.

“You lead, we follow.”

The words were something that he could appreciate, as he now had to fix the world that’d made less sense. With Whitley being how he was, the time was growing short for the Schnee family. The bed was pushed open and he grabbed a hold of the heavy pack and then pulled it off the bunk, glancing at Ren for a moment as he stripped himself for bed, his friend’s eyes looking dark with the depressive feelings of having been too harsh on his lover.

_‘Do you believe in Destiny?’_

* * *

Weiss watched Nora as she sat there, morose and sullen, her face showing the tracks of tears that’d been stopped by the handy intervention from Ruby, who seemed to care the most, as she always did. It was a messy look that Nora had on her face, her eyes dark and not optimistic.

“He’s wrong for saying that, Nora. You’re a wonderful person, and he shouldn’t have wanted you to change.”

Weiss could understand the feeling of being in an argument with someone you loved. She’d done it with her mother before, when she’d been younger. She’d still hoped that her mother would see sense, that there’d be a change for the better in the family.

Yang was trying to help, Nora’s eyes looking up.

“Jaune was... He was there, okay? He blames himself, not surprising after what he’d been through.”

The conflicted look in Nora’s eyes was tough to witness, watching her with an interest in her eyes, aware that Jaune had been mentioned. Nora’s eyes turned a little darker, as she showed those emotions visibly.

“When Winter broke up with him, he was-“

Nora looked at Weiss for a moment, apologetic, but looking down again.

“He was so _sad_ , like the world had crumbled again. He’s... He blames himself for us breaking up, but- But he’s _such_ a good young man.”

Weiss agreed. A good young man, with a nice firm butt and a set of eyes that made her feel hot below the collar, like a resting need for something more, something that burned within the depths of her body.

_‘I’ll make sure that he gets what he needs...’_

Winter had said that she’d be no longer able to restrain herself. He was Jaune and he’d... he’d made Winter care for him, made her fall in love.

“I want to make him smile again. Every evening, it’s now like he’s staring at the wall, moody and distant, and we’ve been sleeping in the same bed. He’s hurting, and I don’t know how to fix him.”

_‘You can’t fix him.’_

Her sister had gouged out his heart and pushed a burning ember into the bleeding space before shutting the flesh around it, leaving it to burn like a flame. It was pain, it was a terrible pain for him, she knew.

“Can we do anything to help?”

Weiss knew that she should offer, and she did. Ruby looked at her, as Nora looked at her with a watery smile on her face, her eyes a little moist, with those eyes not really fading in their intensity.

“I’m... I’m going to talk to Rennie in the morning. He’s... He’s still my boy- well... He’s a _friend,_ now. He’d rather like someone like you, Weiss. Quiet, calm, _womanly...”_

Weiss felt bad, and she knew that it might get worse. She should offer herself, like a sacrifice for the barbarian lord of the Babes of the Burgundy Dress series, which she most certainly did not fully own. Her copy wasn’t earmarked in one of the sections about the noble lady being seduced by a savage man, no. The other thirteen parts had still been left in her room at the Schnee Manor.

“I’ll... I’ll see whether I can make him happy.”

It was a sacrifice, something that would make him happier. She wasn’t doing this because she wanted to have her animalistic cravings sated, no. She wasn’t doing this because she wished that she could find someone to stay with her and support her.

_‘Sorry, Winter.’_

Her sister’s face and the breakdown that’d come after the meeting with their mother flashed before her eyes, as Nora gave a smile.

“Don’t count me out of the race _yet,_ Snow Angel. I’m... I’ve seen what he looks like without his clothes on. There’s a lot of Arc there...”

Ruby nodded. Weiss gave her a look, the stab of betrayal harsh in her chest.

_‘Et tu, Ruby?’_

“He’s muscular, yes. He used to train whilst he listened to... when he was travelling, he was listening to a recording.”

Ruby’s face was sad and Weiss wondered for a moment, as her partner sighed, running a hand through her short hair. The look on Ruby’s face was forlorn and a little lost, as she let her eyes go down, at the ground.

“Does he still... y’know, listen?”

Nora’s expression fell, shaking her head. The feelings inside Nora must be dark, as those eyes looked at Ruby for a long while.

“He’s... We saw the statue of Pyrrha at Argus. We...”

The soft sound of an exhale, as the depressed ginger looked at them. Pyrrha had died thanks to Cinder Fall, the Fall Maiden, trying to assist Professor Ozpin with the defence of Beacon. The previous Fall Maiden had been killed by Cinder, after all.

“She was important to us. Jaune... Jaune doesn’t like to talk about her.”

Weiss could understand, and she looked at Nora, whose expression had darkened in her own pain. She felt the pain herself, knowing that her sister was undoubtedly feeling that loss as well. The boy that she liked, that her sister had broken down for, was now hurting more because of it.

Winter had to become the Winter Maiden, or else things would be unmanageable, she’d seen the state of Fria herself and she wondered whether it would be like a flash, of power filling Winter and her being able to fly or something.

“We... We know, okay? Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

She offered, Nora looking at her with a look, getting up, Weiss ushering her into the bathroom. Several of the haircare products were pushed away from the mirror as Nora stripped herself bare, the sight of a well-trained body with muscle and a set of very fine breasts, of which Weiss totally was not envious of, visible for a moment, as Nora looked at her.

“He’s too damn good for me. I was about to- I was about to _jump._ I just felt so... I felt so _bad_. _Unwanted_. He’s too damn good for his own good.”

Weiss understood that. She could see it in his eyes, could feel it in every move that he made. He genuinely cared for her, for her sister. He’d made _love_ to her sister, and her sister’s plea for her to love him made her feel... dirty.

“He’s great, right? I’m... I think that he’s _improved._ You... you’re going to be feeling better, Nora.”

Nora looked at her and smiled softly, her gaze down, as she stepped into the shower and turned the knob, steaming hot water hitting Nora’s small firm body, the ginger turning her head.

“Yeah... I’ll see whether I can get myself something to distract myself with.”

_‘I know what I can distract myself with...’_

A brief thought of the young muscular man who’d been glimpsed before, rugged and smelling like a real man, roughed up by the days out in the field, coming home and dragging mud all over the freshly waxed floor...

It’d be crude of a maid not to be at his service, feeling his hands grope her body, touching over her small mounds as he groans in her ear that it’d been too long, that she’s not getting away from her boss.

_‘Hmm... Perhaps I should read some more before bed...’_

She put on a polite smile for Nora’s benefit, as the ginger’s eyes met hers, before the grin turned a little broader, the look on Nora’s face a little more wicked than before.

“Oh... and if you’d really like to know...”

Nora’s hands spread a little apart, looking her in the eyes.

“That big. Thick. A real _man_. That’s what you’ve dismissed for the dance, Weiss. Don’t think I didn’t hear that brief little session back at Jaune’s sister’s place.”

She flushed a little. It’d been... well, need. She couldn’t take care of the itch at the Brunswick farm, so she’d have to delay it a little. It was... need. Every young woman of a certain age and maturity did it, right?

_‘Ruby certainly doesn’t. Yang is shy and Blake... who knows what Blake does.’_

She didn’t really think much about the habits of her friends, but she’d known that her life was finite. It could’ve been her _death_ at the fight of Haven, and...

_‘I don’t want to die a virgin.’_

She knew that her sister wasn’t a virgin anymore and it was most certainly a thing that she’d like to get rid of swiftly. Tomorrow might bring death, and she was _not_ feeling the whole ‘old spinster’ route with a battery pack and a ‘massager’. Weiss Schnee had standards, and if that meant that she’d get the Arc flagpole rubbed against her face, so be it.

“It was... tension. You heard _nothing_.”

Nora’s eyes looked a little happier, a little cheerier than before. The girl was still hurting from her breakup, and Weiss knew that Nora might just be acting a little oddly to protect herself, but...

“He’s touched himself to you, y’know? We shared a tent, we’ve seen each other, and let me tell you...”

Nora stepped out of the shower, looking daring and womanly. Those breasts definitely were a large draw.

“You _really_ didn’t go for the Fire Dust lode.”

She shivered, as Nora’s finger tapped her forehead, the ginger turning the shower off, starting to towel herself off.

“And you know what, Weissey? Better start making a move...”

A toothy smile, as Nora’s eyes looked into her own. The dark look in those eyes returned, as Nora swallowed, taking a moment to shut the shower off.

“Never know whether I’ll start to think that he’s kind of cute, dependable and not thinking that I’m some hyperactive squirrel...”

Weiss felt dread go through her. Nora knew him better than she did, probably. Nora was on his team and she’d recently become single.

_‘This is horrible! Blake and Yang are a thing, Ruby said that she wouldn’t interfere, but... But Nora wasn’t planned for!’_

She’d plan for something a little smoothly segueing into a little date, a casserole recipe that she’d ask her mother for and then breaking in the dorm bed with some Arc assistance after ensuring that the others were sent out on some wild goose chase. She was a lady of class! Now- Now she had to contend with Nora!

“Not a damn hyperactive squirrel, damn it. I’m happy, yes! But that doesn’t mean that I’ll change too much for you, Lie Ren! I’m still so damn angry!”

Nora was talking to her reflection, preparing herself for the next day when she’d undoubtedly run into her partner, the look in her eyes hurt, and Weiss didn’t know whether she should make a comment or to go away to leave Nora to work through her grief.

She got into bed awkwardly, seeing Nora hop into Yang’s bed, who had decided to share with Ruby, the older sister looking a little awkward with how suddenly this had all changed.

A knocking on the door was the thing that woke her up, and Weiss was the first one out of bed, aware enough to pull the pyjamas a little tighter around herself. There’d been this dream about Nora stealing Jaune away on a wicked witch’s broomstick and that hadn’t been fun.

She checked the time, nearly half to six, around the time when there’d be some of the early missions handed out, and opened the door.

Dependable, blue eyes looked into her own. She felt a little flushed as she realized that she was in a pair of pyjama’s and he was wearing full armour. The little maiden and the rough male warrior here to take her away to his home, to live as his- well, not important. Not now. She put a smile on her face, as she breathed in deeply to muster her courage.

_‘Did he come here for me?’_

“Is Nora okay?”

_‘Of course, he’s going to be concerned about Nora. She’s his teammate, she’s his teammate’s partner.’_

She stepped out, heedless of the scandalous nature of things, Nora’s snores loud in the air. They’d not stayed up very late, but there was something in his eyes, something that made her want to hope that they’d be focused on him.

“She... She’s _upset_. I can wake her, if you’d like?”

_‘Winter wanted me to... but...’_

She shivered, looking into his eyes as they looked down at her with that determined look, that look that would never give up. Her nipples were hard, as she watched him, a swallow coming, as she felt that gaze never quite move away.

“No, let her sleep. She’ll... She’ll be better after she’s had some rest. You didn’t notice anything during the night, did you?”

She shook her head. It’d been relatively peaceful, despite Nora being depressed, contrary to her own natural self. Relief in his eyes, as his smile made her feel warm again.

“Do you... Weiss? Can you come with me to your mother’s home?”

_‘What?!’_

Her eyes were distrustful, before she realized who was suggesting this. This was the man that Winter liked, the man that _she_ liked. He’d have... He’d have good intentions.

“Why would you-“

Jaune’s eyes looked strict, as his hand grabbed hers. The look in his eyes, caring and direct, made her shiver. He was close, and she was only wearing a thin set of pyjama’s.

“The footage wasn’t usable again. It’s just the same... blurry image, bad sound. The guy must be doing something to scramble camera’s around him.”

Disappointment shot through her body at the thought of it failing again. The image had been unclear, apparently, the voice scrambled. It must’ve been some sort of technologically savvy person who’d handed her father the election.

“I’ll... I’ll come with you, but- But I’d like to go on a date with you too.”

Pain in his eyes, pain and something more, something that was deep and hurt. She didn’t like to see him like this, like he was still reeling from the punch to the gut that’d been delivered to him at Beacon, the hopelessness that’d entered those eyes once.

“I’m... Weiss, I don’t think I’m a good person to-“

She shook her head and then wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up into a kiss, kissing the solid man before her straight on the lips, her tongue pushing into his mouth, touching, the surprise on his features showing clearly that this was unexpected.

“You _are_ a good person, Jaune. I’m here for you, as is the rest of the team. Winter- Winter doesn’t know what she’s rejected.”

_‘She’ll have to become the Winter Maiden. When that happens, she’ll have to stay.’_

Her heart bled a little for her older sister, who was bound to Atlas in more ways than one. Her lips pulled away from him as he looked into her eyes. There were tears there, and she knew that she might’ve caused it.

“I’m so sorry, I feel... I feel so bad, I always-“

She kissed him again, feeling the thump-thump-thump of her heart pick up. She was present, she was here... and she didn’t feel those throes of lust yet, but she knew that he would take care of it. She’d already gotten the special outfits delivered, and it’d be... nice.

_‘I’m not going to make you feel so bad that you blame yourself, Jaune Arc.’_

She would make him feel better. She was Weiss Schnee and she was not going to give up on the boyfriend-to-be. Winter had told her to love him, and she may just do it out of her own desires.

Weiss Schnee did not lose.

Ever.

* * *

He walked to the mission briefing slowly, still touching his lips. Weiss had kissed him twice when he’d gone to check up on Nora. Determination filled him, as he knew what to do now, he knew that he should keep them safe. If he died... If he could make them be happy and safe with his death, he would.

_‘You are not hurting my friends again, Cinder Fall.’_

He remembered the advice that his mother had given him before he’d left home for Beacon, years before. ‘Always prepare for the worst, then it can always get better.’ A pang of sadness, knowing that Saphron might’ve been hurt during their escape from Argus. She’d still been in Argus, after all.

He entered the briefing room, finding General Ironwood behind his desk, looking up. A smile on the man’s face, casual and without any sort of distrust. It was a politician’s smile, a strategist’s smile.

“The cookies were very nice, Mister Arc. My mother enjoyed them as well, Specialist Schnee told me.”

The Winter Maiden, proposed to be the General’s grandmother. He could see the image of the woman on the screen, Winter at her side, offering her one of the cookies, which the woman took, smiling at the woman. The machine stood there in the corner of the room, the machine that would be the sole weakness of the Maiden’s power transfer process. If it had been with Pyrrha, then it would be with Winter, that very same moment of loss, an arrow hitting the Maiden and Cinder Fall being there.

_‘They don’t know what they are up against...’_

“That’s good, sir. Do you have the mission for me? I’m... I’m sure that the kids would have wanted me to-“

The man laughed softly, shaking his head.

“It is a _Saturday,_ Mister Arc. Children are not required in school on Saturdays.”

_‘Stupid... You could’ve looked at the dates, not at the way that things would be. You’ve gotten complacent, Jaune...’_

“Ah, sorry. Do you have any missions?”

A Sabyr tracking mission in the underbelly of Atlas had been available, something that he could complete on his own. They weren’t a big challenge for him, but he knew that he would need to be prepared for the... for the visit to the Schnee manor.

He knew that Willow and Whitley would be waiting for the two of them. Whitley had been sad, had been coping with the lack of his sisters in his own way, and it made him feel the concern. The younger teen had kept quiet about him and his mother, something that might’ve come to really bite him in the ass if it was found out. Winter would not be very happy, and Mister Schnee...Undoubtedly not either.

As he returned to Atlas Academy after a harrowing chase through the lower levels, he watched Nora and Ren sit there, talking quietly, Ren’s face passive yet with guilt in his eyes, Nora’s eyes meeting his own and a smile blossoming on her face.

“Hey there, glorious leader! Been busy with chasing pussy?”

He sighed, as he met Ren’s eyes, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder and pushing some of his Aura in. It had a positive effect on people, he guessed, because Winter had loved it.

“It was a Sabyr, Nora. I’m... Is everything okay with the two of you?”

Ren’s face was grave, as he shook his head lightly. There was pain in those eyes still, as Nora spoke up.

“We’re taking a break. Rennie apologized, but he can’t... I’m still _hurt_ , Lie Ren! I’m still hurt! I know why you said it, but still-!”

Ren looked apologetically at his girlfriend, or well, former girlfriend by now, watching her as she frowned. She smiled and then hugged Ren.

“But still, break time. We need some space, something to freshen our minds up a bit. I should apologize to Oscar as well... The poor guy must have been scared.”

Jaune could understand that, from an outsider’s perspective, Nora and Ren’s spat was excessive, but it was still...

_‘The things that happen around us...’_

“I’m taking Weiss to her mother’s house, I... They liked the cookies and her younger brother would like to see her again.”

He remembered the ‘Weiss’ that he’d seen in that room, the eyes similar, but dead and desperate. A child shouldn’t have to play dress-up to be with his sisters... And Willow...

_‘I should drag Winter to her mother’s house as well, if I can. Things are... Things aren’t good between us, but she should be a DAUGHTER to her mother, rather than just someone who hates her father. Family is important!’_

They’d lost Pyrrha, He’d lost his innocence and hope at Haven and Argus...

But he’d not lose what was the most important to him! He’d not make the Schnee family into a broken family, because they were people that he liked. Winter had been exuberant when she danced, without worry and care for anything, moving her body to the music and exulting in the flow, her face showing not the worries of the day, the stresses that she suffered.

Weiss was starting to show more affection, but he wasn’t sure whether she was sincere. She’d said as much, and she’d said that she didn’t want to see him sad, but... He doubted it. Winter had made love to him, and she was Weiss’ big sister and image. If Whitley tried to imitate his big sisters, then wouldn’t it be possible for Weiss to do the same?

Willow was a conundrum, which he didn’t want to think about too much, because it reminded him of his first time, the warmth of the woman, the near-staggering despair and hopelessness, and the feeling of her with him.

_‘I’m... I’m going to keep your family safe, Willow.’_

An assassin sent by Cinder had been foiled, and the woman was still out there, undoubtedly here to take the powers of the Winter Maiden. She couldn’t be allowed to take the powers, and...

_‘There won’t be another Pyrrha Nikos.’_

Winter didn’t _know_ the woman, she was ignorant of the danger that that woman represented. Weiss had nearly _died_ thanks to the woman’s actions, and Winter _would_ die if she went against Cinder Fall. He could already see Winter with a hole in her stomach, grasping at the air, holding that burning spear and him not making it in time, and-

_‘NO. That will NOT happen.’_

He was aware that he was being hugged by Nora and Ren, the two looking with concern.

“Sorry guys, I-“

Nora was the first to speak.

“It’s okay, we’re here for you. No matter what, Jaune... We’ll _always_ be with you, even if we’re no longer together-together. We’re team JNPR.”

He smiled at her and she smiled back, Ren offering a hesitant smile, the grip on him a little stronger. His Aura glowed and he pushed it into his friends, Nora’s eyes glowing a little with that glow. The warmth slipped through his body, leaving him cold, and then he let it settle into his friends, feeling it regenerate quickly inside of him. He would do what he could to keep them alive.

_‘For my friends and those that I love...’_

He knew what he would do. 

_‘No sacrifice is to great, even if it kills me.’_

Nobody would die under his watch.

* * *

Weiss was nervous as she knocked on the door, aware that there may be a bad response. They’d made it to her father’s home and been admitted, Jaune acting like there wasn’t anything wrong with him, but his eyes never had seemed to stop being set in that way that was like nervousness and unease. He wore the hoodie once again, Pumpkin Pete standing out like a beacon of childhood innocence.

 _‘He’s nervous, and he wants to keep me safe...’_

It would have been a fantasy if she’d let her mind trail off, the door opening and her mother looking at her, a smile on her lips. Weiss could see Whitley sitting next to the hearth, which had been fired up, looking quite charming in the light blue shirt and dark pants, his hair a little messed up. A book was in his hands, a photo album that had been mother’s, if she remembered right.

“Enter, Weiss. We were just talking about some of the photo’s of your grandfather, and- Mister Arc, would you be so kind as to request a fresh pot of tea from the staff? Down the hall, third corridor, straight ahead.”

Mother looked at her with a look that was tender and warm, like how she’d looked when she’d met the woman before. Whitley shifted a little, getting up, but no sneer or cold gesture coming from him, as the response from Jaune came.

_‘I’m... I’m going to show you the best date, Jaune.’_

He wasn’t going to be sad anymore, she knew in her heart. Winter would... She’d do what Winter had asked, even if Winter disapproved of it now. She wasn’t going to be the prim and proper Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, but Weiss Schnee, Huntress and lover.

“Sit down, Weiss. Let’s... let’s have a talk, okay?”

Whitley actually _smiled_ as she sat down, her eyes looking at him with suspicion in their depths.

“How... How was your day, Weiss?”

Hesitation, a little more than she’d ever expect from her little brother, and she closed her eyes, remembering her mother’s words. She knew that Whitley was her little brother, but it was... _hard._

“It was... It was okay. H-how... How was your day? Has- Have-“

She floundered a little, unsure of how to proceed, her brother’s face showing that small smile, the unusualness of this brief smile making her feel a dash of surprise, as her younger brother’s gaze went up at their mother, who sat down.

“It was... pleasant, sister. Mother and I have been going through the pictures of grandfather’s early days and- and she’s been telling stories about how things used to be in the early days.”

Her mother cleared her throat, asking for attention, her hand touching her knee, the outfit that she wore just the same as the one before, but in a deeper blue colour. Mother had different combinations for every event she went to, if she went at all.

“When we have our tea, we can talk. How is Winter doing?”

Weiss remembered that moment where she’d interrupted the woman and her older sister’s conversation, the guilt inside her gnawing at her, the moment reflected in her mind.

“She’s... She’s working as General Ironwood’s aide. She-“

_‘She’s a mess.’_

Her mother’s eyes looked sad, as she inhaled and exhaled.

“I know about the break-up, Weiss. It was... It _hurts_ to see my proud little Winter like that.”

Weiss knew that, and she knew more, as the Maiden business was to be kept under wraps at all costs. The pain did not stop for the slightest moment, as she could feel the weight of the burden on her heart.

“I... I intend to see whether it is within the cards for me and Jaune to date. He’s... He’s hurting inside, and- And I don’t want that.”

Whitley looked at her with what seemed to be an encouraging smile, his hands in his lap, not hidden behind his back.

“I support you _fully_ , Weiss.”

_‘What?’_

Whitley looked at his mother, giving a small smile.

“Mother and I have been... closer, you might say. I have seen after our brief little _reunion_ at the festivities, that there may be value in reconvening as a family, even without Father’s approval. Mister Arc has been... We have spoken, about some things. It was refreshing.”

Her mother’s warm smile, more determined than before, like it was all going to be alright again, made her feel warm on the inside, tingling with those feelings that couldn’t be stopped. The door opened and Jaune entered, holding a pot of coffee. She smelled the rich fragrance of sweet tea, additional honey to it just how she liked it. Her mother smiled at her, as Jaune set the pot of tea down.

Something seemed to occur to her mother, as the young man poured her tea, a small smile curling on her lips.

“Mister Arc, if you would follow me? I happen to have... I have an idea. Some cooperation would be needed from a tall young gentleman, but sometimes, it is best to _show_ rather than to tell.”

A softness of his features, the warm smile that made her heart skip a beat, as he got himself back up again, her mother’s lips touching the rim of her teacup and draining it in one go, not stopping for a moment to let it rest. Her mother’s eyes held that warmth in them that she remembered from the years before, when there’d been nothing but happiness and joy, even if father had to work so much.

_‘Like we were...’_

Whitley looked at her questioningly, and she looked at the photo album, her grandfather standing there in front of one of the first mines. Their mother smiled, placing her hands on Weiss’ shoulders.

“Tell Whitley the story of your grandfather’s first mining expedition. We’ll be back in... say, twenty minutes? I’m going to get something out of the storage.”

_‘Maybe she is fetching grandfather’s personal weapon? It would make sense that she’d need him to carry it. It’s heavy...’_

She’d seen the greatsword once, and remembered the Arma Gigas that she’d fought. It’d been an animated suit of armour, serving as her final test.

“So, grandfather was trying to start out with his first expedition...”

Whitley leaned towards her and she felt him get closer. She felt bad for ignoring him all this time, and... and it was nice to talk about grandfather. Whitley didn’t know the man, as he’d died before Whitley had been born. Weiss knew only an older male voice, speaking with pride. It was Winter who knew the man when she’d been younger.

* * *

He followed behind the woman who had fucked him, not more than a week before. It was a sight that he couldn’t erase from his mind, as they walked through the quiet house, the servants keeping out of sight, working their duties without a complaint, paid for by the Schnee Dust Company’s work. A large door stood before them, as Willow pushed the key into the lock and then twisted it, opening up the door and stepping through. She pushed the light switch and lights came on, showing a mostly empty room.

“Mister Arc... Get your hoodie off. It would get caught within-”

The woman’s voice was direct, telling him to, and he did what she asked, the woman shutting the door behind her, clicking the lock shut again, the look on her face serious and in a mood that he couldn’t determine. Winter was fairly obvious with her tells, knowing that she felt bad and seeing her pain on her face.

“Now...”

A hand grabbed his wrist and she pulled him along to an armour stand, a helmet hung from the top, the armour looking heavy, a cloak resting over another armour stand, the golden chord that connected the cloak glittering in the light.

_‘It’s armour...’_

“They _talk_ to me, Mister- No, _Jaune_. Whitley _talks_ to me, he asks me things he doesn’t understand. He knocked on my door last night and asked whether I could explain him something. He _wanted_ to be around me.”

Blue eyes looked into his own as she came closer, her hand resting against his chest, the woman small in stature, as her eyes moistened and teared up. Her head rested against his chest, his Aura pushing through their skin contact and into her. She shivered, as her arms wrapped around his bare chest.

“You have _no_ idea how much that means to me, Jaune. To talk with my baby girls, with my only son... To- to be a member of the family again, after I’ve hurt them so deeply with my neglect. You have _no_ idea, young man.”

She shuddered, her eyes dark and troubled, her breathing a little heavier, as her hands slid down, grabbing his pants. Fingers that’d had no problem with uncorking wine bottles pulled his pants open and her fingers grabbed a hold of his manhood, which had been rock hard since she’d laid her head against his chest, her eyes looking at him with that desperation, that hope, that warmth that only a mother could have in her eyes.

“Don’t think that- that I am _just_ doing this to _soothe_ a young man, that- That I am someone who merely wishes to do this for _fun_. You- You made my Winter thaw, Weiss... Weiss thinks of you as a partner to wed. Whitley, my dear boy... You don’t know what you’ve done to make him- to-“

The woman took a deep breath, trying to contain the shivers of those emotions within her, trying to maintain her own appearance as a mature woman instead of-

_‘Winter, do you look so much like your mother that you mimic her manners?’_

It was the same as with Winter. His hand wrapped around her and he did what came naturally. Willow Schnee stiffened as he kissed her, letting his aura flow into her, her eyes closed, waiting for her to calm down and become more moderate in her emotions, her head pulling away.

“I’m... do _allow_ me to do this, Jaune.”

She slid down to her knees in a flowing motion, the dust in the room disturbed, her fingers seizing a hold of his rod, as he looked down at the woman, whose blue eyes reminded him so much of the daughter that he’d been seeing up until a few days ago, the daughter who would be-

His thoughts flatlined as her tongue slid over the engorged head, a shuddering gasp coming from his lips, her tongue delicately sliding over the underside and then flicking off the head. His attention was on her, as her hand slowly gave a little quick jerk at the base, his balls tugged up with the jerk, as a low groan came from his lips.

“You love my daughters.”

Her lips kissed the head of his cock and he shivered again, his buttocks clenching as her lips slid further over the head, half of it in that mouth, her tongue dancing over the urethra, her eyes looking up at him. Winter couldn’t do it like this, and he felt weak, swaying a little, but her other hand wrapped around him, as her lips parted a little and hot breath washed over his groin, her tongue batting against the sensitive shaft, as her head moved further.

He felt like he was going to pass out with that sensation, the ache within his balls starting up, the pleasure and the sensation of tension never fading, as he burned with that pleasurable burn for a while, his throbbing member kept in that hot mouth, the woman’s eyes never leaving him. She pulled off when he was about to get off, the tender ‘Ah’ from her lips pushing over his mind as her nose bumped against the head of his cock.

“You would do _anything_ to see them safe.”

He would, as her mouth opened again, her head meeting his groin as she took it all in her mouth and then did something that-

His hand on her head, wrapped in the loose ponytail that she wore it in as he came, the woman’s nose buried in his pubes, Willow’s lips forming a tight seal as he felt as if his soul was being sucked out through his cock, Winter’s technique sloppy in comparison to this woman’s, clearly showing who the more experienced one was, at least...

_‘Ah...’_

She kept her gaze on him even as her eyes teared up, her throat swallowing, her eyes never closing for longer than a blink, a shivering sound coming from him as she patted his hip, his hand relaxing a little and she pulled off his cock.

“Thank you.”

His cock stood erect still, as Willow’s lips formed a small smile. She kissed the head lightly, a feather-light kiss.

“Now, let me dress you. The armour on the stand should fit you.”

He pulled his pants up and Willow smiled at him, her eyes looking much like Winter’s when she let her hair down and just relaxed. He grabbed the breastplate and then started to tug it on. He could see that his hoodie wouldn’t fit at all over the armour, but if Willow wanted him to try it out... he would.

The armour was heavier than his own, but it didn’t feel that hard to move in. It restricted his movement only a little, as the final strap was finished and he moved. Metal shifted as the heavy boots that had come with it moved.

_‘Not bad...’_

She offered the helmet to him and the sword. The large two-handed sword looked like Crocea Mors in its two-handed morph, heavier in weight than the combination of sword and shield, but he could wield it, the gauntlets awkward to move with.

“Come, follow me. It’s time that they see how someone wears the armour.” 

She stroked a finger over the breastplate, before she made him wear the armour, the cloak wrapped around his shoulders and tied. A smile on her face, something wistful, her motions light.

_‘It must be a set of armour belonging to the family... maybe to her father?’_

He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to assume. Assumptions made you fuck the mother of the girl you held warm feelings for.

He was aware of how slow it was to move in the armour at first, but once he got used to the weight, it became all the easier. The helmet only restricted his sight a little, as he fit it awkwardly onto his face, pinching a little at the scalp, something Willow noted with amusement as having happened to the man who’d worn the armour previously, her eyes lighting up with joy.

“They will love it.”

Weiss and Whitley might, he guessed. She moved with excitement to her steps, showing the love that she held for her daughter and son in every move, his own motions a little slower due to the weight and the joints that he had to move with, the weight needing to adjust a little to his body.

Willow rounded the corner before he did, a door opening and a man emerging. Jaune recognized him as Willow’s husband, the Schnee siblings’ father.

“Whitley has missed two lessons now, Willow. Why is my son spending time with a drunkard like you, when he could be learning how to be a successful businessman?”

The man’s hand grabbed his wife’s jacket, his face close to Willow’s. He could see the fear in her eyes and he felt rage well up inside them. It wasn’t enough that Winter was going to die for the foolish cause of becoming the Winter Maiden, but her mother was also in terror and fright from her own husband.

He moved a little faster, the clink-chink of the armour that he wore alerting the man, who turned around and stiffened. Willow had dropped his hoodie in her fright of her husband, the man’s eyes looking fearful for a moment at him.

The man’s hand let go of his wife’s jacket and was brought up to defend himself, Jaune realizing that he’d pulled the sword out, the man’s body moving back as if afraid, blue eyes looking with fear and something more.

“No, you’re _dead_. You _can’t_ be alive, I made sure of it. The poison woul-“

The blade was raised and he made an angry roar as he approached, anger spurring him on to move, to defend the mother of the woman that he’d found love with for that brief dalliance, and Jacques Schnee passed out, before Jaune could bear the blade down on the man, noticing Willow’s face, which seemed to have gone whiter than a sheet, looking at the man who was her husband.

“We... We should go. Weiss and Whitley...”

The woman was trembling and quivering, her eyes leaking, as he pushed his Aura into her again, to warm her up, to make her feel the heat of his soul.

“No, no, _no._ ”

A whimpering ‘no’ from the older woman as she pressed herself against him, his sword lowered and put in the loop at his back, to be pulled when it was needed to defend. He looked down at the collapsed man, wrapping an arm around the trembling woman’s shoulder, having seen the fear that she felt and just looking at the man made him feel anger.

This was the man who had made Winter into the afraid and paranoid woman that she was, the man who had made Weiss suffer and the one who tried to make Whitley into a copy of himself...

“I would do anything to bring a smile to the face of your daughters, Willow. I’m...”

He sighed, as he looked at the man, Willow’s expression dark and brooding as she looked down at the man.

“No... He doesn’t deserve to be murdered and have a _good_ man to go to jail for that.”

Winter’s cool expressionless face and Willow’s look of disgust at her husband were very dissimilar, as she motioned for him to go.

“Go to my daughter and son, Mister Arc. What happened to my father is... _business_ between my husband and _myself_. He will ignore and neglect me, this is how it has always been between the two of us.”

He could see that anger in the woman’s eyes, washing away the despair and loneliness, something raw and untamed. The man had poisoned her father, all to gain the company...

_‘Winter... I swore that I’d keep you from falling, that I’d be there to catch you... and that counts for your whole family. Nobody will die, as long as I am there.’_

She knelt next to her unconscious husband and he walked ahead, feeling awkward as he saw her smack her husband’s face to wake up.

“Come on, wake up. It’s not time to sleep yet. You must’ve been too worried about that council spot that you won, Jacques.”

If the man could dismiss it as a mere stress-induced hallucination, it would be something that wouldn’t come to bite him in the ass. He’d trust that, and Willow’s lack of interaction with her husband.

He knocked on the door leading to the room Willow slept in, the door opening and Weiss peering up at him, stiffening a little.

“Grandfather?”

A soft smile on Jaune’s face behind the helmet, as he cleared his throat.

“Just Jaune. Your mother said that the armour might fit me, so I am here as her test dummy.”

The door opened and Weiss stepped aside to let him in, Whitley looking at him with wide eyes, Jaune pulling the helmet off. He sat down on the couch, giving the Schnee brother and sister a smile that was the best he could muster.

“This is what it looks like when it’s being worn. Your father had quite a scare when he saw me.”

The door opened and Willow entered, her cheek bearing a red mark and her lip split, a mark of a ring visible from where she'd been hit, her eyes warming again as she saw him there.

"Mother?" 

Whitley's voice sounded worried, scared, as Weiss seemed to inhale deeply, their mother's face looking worse than before. He reached out and let his Aura flow into her, the mark disappearing as if it were snow in a hot oven.

“ _Thank_ _you_ , mister Arc.”

Willow’s voice was calm and sedate, as her hand grabbed his wrist, his Aura making her glow as he fed it into her, his eyes looking into her own as a bittersweet smile appeared on her lips. She slowly relaxed her grip, her eyes looking at him with a hurt look, settling herself onto the sofa next to him.

“Your grandfather was a wonderful man, Whitley. He was kind and unafraid of anything. It was truly a sad day when he passed, three months before you were born.”

There was anger in her eyes, something that lurked in those eyes. The involuntary admission of Jacques Schnee had been enough to make the woman angry, as she pushed her ponytail to her other shoulder, looking at her daughter.

“I remember the stories that he told to your older sister, the way that he always managed to make a little princess the focus of it, saved by the gallant knight. She loved those stories, asking him to tell her a story whenever he visited.”

He smiled at the thought of Winter with her grandfather, looking at one of the pictures, the man who had been depicted in several of the bigger paintings standing next to a Dust mine, smiling with his arm around a Faunus worker, who smiled as well. Winter needed someone to rescue her from the danger she was in. He was _not_ going to give up on the woman that he had made love to. Her mother loved her just as much, he knew.

“You... you can keep my father’s armour, Mister Arc. He would- He would rather it see someone _use_ it to protect his family, than to have it merely a relic in a museum.”

It was a wistfulness in her eyes, as he met her gaze, those blue eyes imploring him not to turn away the gift. It was a heavy armour, but it felt more protective than anything else. It would be something that he could wear whilst fighting the Grimm, once he got used to it.

“Mother, you-“

Weiss sounded surprised, as her mother’s eyes firmly met her daughter’s.

“Could you imagine _me_ wearing that armour? I’d be unable to _move._ Your little brother does not wish to fight, and with Mister Arc here, I-“

That same warm smile on her lips, her eyes looking into her daughter’s.

“He will keep you girls _safe_. He would be a _wonderful_ husband for you or Winter, and he will need to be _alive_ for that.”

A woman’s feelings, as Weiss looked at her mother and then at him, hesitation in her eyes, as she swallowed heavily. She looked uncertain, her eyes meeting his.

“I will keep you all safe, Weiss. I promised your sister that I would, and I don’t go back on my word. You’re a family, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that it stays intact.”

He would do what he needed to, in order to ensure that it would last. Whitley looked at him and smiled with that same coy smile that Winter also had.

“A noble sentiment, Mister Arc. Perhaps you can be worthy of my older sister...”

He smiled, looking directly into Whitley’s eyes.

“An Arc doesn’t go back on their word. Even if we die, we’ll never be known as an oathbreaker.”

Weiss smiled, her braid shifting a little. Her eyes looked at him and he gave a confident smile. Willow was smiling at him as well, her hand brushing over the armoured plates.

“L-let’s go out on a date tomorrow, o-okay? I- I _want_ you to t-take me out on a date.”

_‘Really...’_

His eyes met Willow’s for a moment. He nodded mentally to himself.

“May I take your daughter out for a date, Mrs Schnee?”

The woman’s smile was much like her oldest daughter’s when she was enjoying herself, before she patted the breastplate with an affectionate manner.

“I’ll make sure she brings a casserole.”

Weiss looked scandalized at that, and he smiled a little, looking into Weiss her eyes. He always had to bear the burdens for others, but that was how he was.

“Mother, I- I can bake a casserole myself! There are videos! I can do at least that!”

He looked at her and his mouth fell open. Weiss flushed a deep red, her eyes looking down, Whitley looking a little confused.

“What does a casserole have to do with going on a date?”

Willow’s smile was lighter, as she shifted somewhat to the left.

“I will explain that to you in a bit, dear. It’s more or less a custom, informal, but...”

The woman’s eyes met him, as she held up his hoodie.

“Mister Arc, you should get dressed again. It would be rude of me to let you leave the household after having given my husband such a fright.”

He would be responsible for that, he knew. The armour wasn’t bad, and he started to pull the straps a little, getting up. Willow moved behind him, starting to undo several of the straps and helping him get out of it, humming something softly, one of Weiss’ songs, he supposed. Weiss looked a little surprised at the tune.

His skin was a little cool to the air of the room as he got his hoodie back on, noticing that Weiss had been staring at him, giving her a smile as her mother put the armour in the corner of the room, Weiss looking into his eyes for the longest of moments.

They were in the car on the trip back to Atlas Academy when Weiss finally spoke up. Her eyes met his and he saw much of her older sister in that look, watching him carefully with those hidden shrouded eyes that seemed to carry more than the load that he was carrying with them. She was a pale, frail beauty who watched him with eyes that shone like sapphires.

“Thank you, Jaune. I- Whitley talked about you. You have made him impressed with your attitude.”

He smiled a little, knowing that Whitley wasn’t a bad kid. He just needed to be loved. Willow would love her son and her daughters more now, he knew. Weiss scooted a little closer, laying her head against his shoulder.

“I’d talk with your father too if I thought he was _reasonable..._ But I don’t think that it’ll be going that easily.”

There was a dark look in Weiss her eyes, which brightened softly as she looked into his eyes. The look barely changed, her eyes never quite leaving him as she leaned closer, her face there, her braid brushing against his cheek, straddling his lap.

“You don’t have to be _alone_ , Jaune.”

Her lips were on his as she kissed him, a sharp inhale through her nostrils as she did so. The feeling of her warm body against his own, the gloves that she wore touching his temples as she held him, her lips pulled from his own as she breathed. He looked into her eyes, and he knew that she wanted to take the pain away.

“O-one d-date, okay? S-see whether you like me, and- And I’ll make a casserole?”

His hand touched her cheek, giving a smile at her. She was like her sister, but bolder and less restrained by her destiny.

“Let’s go on that date first then, Weiss.”

She smiled at him and kissed him again, her lips tasting like tea, her fingers rubbing over his chest. She was the girl that he’d chased at Beacon, but he’d found something in her sister, and now he was to go on a date with her...

_‘I won’t let your sister die, and I won’t let you be sad either.’_

He’d ask Nora for a few tips on places to go. Weiss was a different animal from Winter, and there were different places to go to, he knew.

_‘Do you believe in Destiny?’_

He’d make sure that Weiss had a good time, at least. Even if he didn’t fully feel for her what he’d felt for her sister, it still was something that he wanted to give to her, because she was that wonderful.

_‘Winter is selected to be the next Winter Maiden...’_

He’d do what he had to. For love, for the Schnee woman that had pushed herself into the place that’d been a void... For their mother, who was...

_‘I never told Willow that her daughter was going to die...She’d be devastated...’_

Telling anyone state secrets was illegal and he’d undoubtedly be punished for that if it was found out, but... But he owed it to Willow. She’d been the first woman to make love to him, and she was _good_ deep within her inner self. A mother of three, loving and dedicated.

_‘I won’t let you tear this family apart, Cinder. Jaune Arc defends that which he considers to be family. Dad said that all you need is confidence, but grandma said that you should never neglect your family...’_

She broke the kiss and panted, her butt pressing against his groin, a flush on her cheeks, as she noticed his arousal. Her cheeks were red as she looked down at him, a finger tracing over his chest and neck, before lightly brushing over his chin.

“I’ll make it the best date you’ve had until now, Jaune.”

He hoped so.

His track record with dating had included two women who were to be Maidens, fighting in a hopeless war.

* * *

**Weiss has her turn! A date with the knight!**

**Leave a comment! I like to see people's thoughts on the story!**


	9. It's a Weiss Party tonight!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do have a storyline for this stuff planned. Rest assured that everything is heading towards an ending.

**Yes, Jaune has a date. He’s got new armour too. And yes... I did plan out the storyline before I wrote the 2 nd chapter. Generally, if I’m making something into a full story, I have the storyline mapped out from start to finish.**

* * *

“We should stop this.”

Nora made a complaining sound, as she tried to pull him back into the bed. It was already six, he should be getting out of bed, but she kept pulling him back.

“Get back in here, space-heater! Ren isn’t allowed to take all the heat!”

He groaned, as Nora, in the very short shirt that she wore, wiggled about. He could see her bare stomach, and knew that she didn’t wear a bra. She usually slept in less, but since they shared a dorm room and Oscar was there, she’d made sure that she dressed modestly.

“But-“

She gave him a look, and he crawled back into bed with her, her arms wrapping around him again. The underwear that he wore was a little tighter, as she nestled herself closer to him. Her eyes looked up at him poutily.

“You wouldn’t want to let wee lil’ Nora be cold, would you?”

He gave a small smile, as she pushed a little closer to him. Her legs wrapped around him like some sort of clutching monkey, her fingers touching over his body with small little pinches and squeezes. He remembered yesterday. Willow had been-

“Don’t look angry. You’re not angry at me, are you?”

Nora sounded worried, and he shook his head. Jacques Schnee had hit his wife, and he’d killed Weiss’ grandfather. It was a mess, and he knew that it would be another day of work.

“No, I’m... I’m not angry with you. Weiss’ mother, I- She...”

He _hated_ it. He _hated_ seeing someone hurt, he _hated_ the fact that Willow would lose a daughter if Cinder Fall was around. He did _not_ want that. He didn’t want to see sad blue eyes looking at a statue, or _worse_.

“Her husband hit her. I healed her up, but-“

Nora’s face appeared fully in front of him, her eyes looking at him with concern and care. She was small, smaller than he was, her eyes peering into his own with worry.

“That’s not good. Did you-?”

He shook his head. He’d have been willing to, because he didn’t want to see someone hurt. He wouldn’t like to see Weiss sad, he wouldn’t like to see Winter be sad and Willow, who would be his mother in law if he married either Winter or Weiss... well, she definitely SHOULDN’T be sad.

_‘Keeping secrets...’_

He hated it. He’d kept secrets before, but he was not feeling great about it.

“He passed out from the shock when he saw me wearing the armour, I- well- It used to belong to Willow’s father, so- He- He _killed_ Willow’s father, all for control over the company.”

Nora’s eyes hardened a little, as she squeezed a little tighter, her head laid on his chest. Ren would still sleep for a while longer, and Nora’s eyes slid down, as her fingers drew little circles on his bare chest.

“You’ve got a date with Weiss, don’t you?”

He made an affirmative sound, as Nora gave a small smile, her head going up, pressing a small kiss to his lips. He looked at her with surprise in his eyes, as she smiled.

“For _luck_. You’re... You’re _our_ leader, Jaune. Ren _hurt_ me. You’re- No, you’re _not_ guilty of _anything,_ Jaune. We’ve had our problems before we met you, and we’ll...”

She looked down for a moment, a small smile playing on her lips. She didn’t say anything for a long time, shifting a little on top of him. He was getting worried, as he felt her slide up, her arms wrapping around his head and his face in her cleavage.

“We’re _with_ you, Jaune. No matter what. No matter how. Nora Valkyrie is never going to give up her glorious leader, y’know? I’m not the smartest cookie, and Ren struggles with breaking the mould, but you- You were what we _needed_. Without you, Weiss would be _dead_ , we would’ve _died_ in Kuroyuri when we went there again and Ruby would’ve been- well, who knows?”

She didn’t let go of him, as he tried to move her off him, her grip tightening on him, as her eyes looked vulnerable.

“I’m- I understand why you do things, Jaune. I understand that you care so much for us, and-“

She let go and pushed herself up, looking down at him with her smile bright and her eyes teary. She sighed slowly, not stopping with her words.

“Have fun on your date with Weiss. But you better tell her that I’ll do what I’ve said if you’re not happy. Winter fucked up _big_ time, so- So make sure that Weiss is happy, okay? Don’t... don’t date her just yet, okay?”

He sighed, shaking his head. Weiss might be trying to get with him out of a desire to make him feel better, because he’d been sad. He’d been _weak_. Nobody would die on his watch, as long as he was around to help.

“Fuck her _good_ though. That girl needs to see what our Glorious Leader has in store for her! Now, let’s get some training in!”

She hopped out of the bed before he did, giving him a bold smile as she raised her shirt and Nora’s mountains bobbed up and down, her eyes glimmering with that amused desire within them, her fingers tapping on the counter, the underwear she wore pulled off as she hopped into the shower.

_‘I’ll get a shower afterwards...’_

She liked to get clean, after the sleeping bits. Nora said that it had to do with ‘sleeping on a garbage heap once’ but he didn’t know whether she’d been too excited or not.

He started to get dressed in his armour, in the- In the _new_ armour. He’d better get some practise in before he’d start to wear it out in public, and Nora was light enough on her feet to actually be able to do it. That it’d all fit in the back of the car that’d brought them back to Atlas Academy had been a minor miracle.

_‘It’s a Sunday...’_

He grabbed his weapon and shifted it to the sword mode which added an extra kick to the blade’s edge, looking at it for a moment. He’d have to switch to a more aggressive style with the additional defence that this set of armour provided...

_‘Sometimes...’_

He swung the blade, the whoosh of the air loud in the room as he did, feeling the strength throughout his limbs add to the swing.

_‘Sometimes, you’ve got to strike first. No tolerance for weakness, no tolerance for failure, just be the hero that you’ve always wanted to be.’_

He entered the bathroom to find Nora towelling off, holding up the breastplate, deciding to leave the cape for a later session. Maybe tonight, if he’d have time after the date. He didn’t think that Weiss would be giving him a casserole or anything, but-

_‘Winter...’_

“Can you help me get this on?”

She smiled, starting to work on the armour as he put it on, kneeling before her, her fingers tying the straps at the back, the weight comfortable enough for him to move in, as she did it diligently, as ordered.

“It makes you look like a knight from the stories, Jaune.”

He knew. It was functional armour, for someone who was tall and who had loved his daughter and his granddaughters. The man who had made the Schnee Dust Company into a brand known across the world, and whose son in law had killed him for it.

“I’ll be protecting my kingdom then, Nora.”

She tied the final strap and he rose again, having knelt before her to let her do her work. She looked at him and then jumped a little, a little happy bounce. Her mountains wobbled again, as she hugged his arm.

“I get to be the queen of the castle, you get to be the stable-boy! Yes! Sir Arc of the Horses! Equipped like one too!”

He humoured her with a smile, her hands pulling him closer to her with a little jerk.

“Get lucky with the queen of the castle, horse boy. She _wants_ it.”

She grinned, even as he sighed. She was joking, obviously. She was with Ren and even if they were on break, there was that friendship that he’d not like to break, because Ren and Nora were the closest to him, beating out Ruby as well.

“I’ll be sure to ask Mister Ebi for some good luck. I’m more like the royal court jester.”

Nora grinned as she let go and then pulled away from him, getting the fresh underwear on. Her bra was in place, offering support for her mammary mounds, her eyes warmly peering at him.

“Let’s get Magnhild and you and smash. I wanna smash some faces!”

He hoped that she wouldn’t smash his face. He was quite attached to it.

* * *

Her eyes opened, aware of the feeling of heat between her legs, aware of that sensation that she’d been trying to resist, the alarm blaring loudly on the corner of her bed, the sounds of the others stirring awake at the sound, her fingers finding the button and then pushing it to shut the infernal noise off.

She made her way to the bathroom first, relieving herself and looking at herself in the mirror, before she hopped under the shower to get a quick rinse, to wipe away the sweat between her legs that most certainly hadn’t been arousal brought on by a dream of being some sort of princess runaway, dragged back home by a knight who just wouldn’t stop making her love him in a tent or under the stars.

_‘I might be... frustrated.’_

She was. She looked at herself in the mirror, pressing her lips together and then deciding that she’d better add a fresh coating to her lips before she’d have her mission in the morning. Atlas required them at peak performance every moment of the day, and she would not wish to have her mission record marred by laziness. Weiss Schnee was a good huntress, prim, proper and polite.

She emerged, catching Blake and Yang holding hands, Yang smiling shyly at her girlfriend, who had apparently finally confessed her desires... and kissed.

_‘I’ve kissed Jaune three times. He’s had sex with my sister.’_

She was _not_ going to-

_‘Underwear!’_

She went for her bag and started to throw out stuff that didn’t make much sense to wear. The nice black lingerie that she’d bought on impulse was pulled out, held up and then-

_‘Mission, yes. Then underwear switch, makeup and- Heels!’_

She looked for her hairbrush, using it to brush her hair swiftly, before starting to braid it again. She had to look proper, like Weiss Schnee should. She watched Ruby, who smiled encouragingly at him.

“I heard about you taking Jaune out on a date... Just... just be careful, okay? He’s-“

Nora had talked to Ruby for a bit, Weiss knew. She’d talked about Jaune for a little, because Ruby had asked how Jaune was doing. It’d been telling that Ruby had been very quiet afterwards, having kept her silence. She looked like she’d have wanted to say more, but hadn’t found the right time for it.

“He’s _hurting_. Don’t- Don’t make him do something he doesn’t want to, okay?”

Weiss nodded. She wanted to, but only if... Only if he was ready for it.

_‘Winter, I’m... I want it to be natural, I want to but-‘_

“Of course. I’m not going to be a fool.”

She knew that she might be the biggest fool of them all, but she wanted to _live_ , she wanted to _feel_ , to fly freely into the hurricane of love that was waiting for her outside of the birdcage.

_‘I love him!’_

Her sister’s face came to mind, the look on her face, as Weiss closed her eyes. She tried not to think about it too hard, knowing that she was essentially ruining her sister’s chances of getting back together with her own desires for the blonde young man, but she was still not giving up.

Winter had asked her to do this, to make sure that he was _happy_ , without her. She would be the Winter Maiden, and she’d keep the secret from her team, as much as she could. Winter trusted her, and the information could not leak, especially with Cinder’s agent around.

“Good. We’ll be here, unless- Unless you’d like some _privacy_.”

Ruby understood her well, as a thought of dressing up a little and playing out the fantasies of barbarian Jaune and the bar wench...

“I’ll let you guys know. We’d have to connect well enough first.”

She put a small smile on her lips, aware that there was nothing but the date left for her after their mission, stepping out of the dorm room after having fetched her weapon from the rack, not trusting it anywhere outside of her presence. You never knew when you could be under attack, obviously.

She caught sight of the training room being active, stepping in to find Jaune in motion, her grandfather’s armour in full motion, the heavily armoured form moving with that supple grace as he swung the massive sword, just as her mother had once spoken of. It was beauty, function and form, as he moved like a dancer, his steps light as he swung at Nora, who darted out of the way at the last moment, her weapon swinging and then blocked by a veritable wall of Aura flashing.

_‘He makes full armour look good.’_

She caught sight of Nora’s challenging gaze, her eyes meeting Nora’s for a moment, the bright smile on her lips making her feel a dash of worry, as Nora’s body flickered as Jaune hit it, Nora going flying and hitting the far wall. He moved as quickly as he could, gaining speed after time had passed, his arms grabbing a hold of Nora and the glow wrapping around the smaller girl, whose body seemed to quiver for an instant with the Aura replenishing itself, and him helping her up.

“We should go to General Ironwood.”

Ruby said, as she was distracted, watching Jaune pull the helmet off. Ruby whistled softly.

“That’s some nice armour that he’s got there. Did he get it smithed for himself by Dr. Polendina?”

She shook her head, a sigh coming from her lips. She hadn’t told her team about how the meeting with her mother had gone. She’d talked with her mother on the Scroll for an hour, her mother warm and friendly again, like... _before_.

“It was... it was my grandfather’s. Mother bequeathed it to him, saying that it should see use, rather than rot away in a museum or storage-room. I find myself agreeing...”

She totally wasn’t checking his crotch out, nope. She knew that the armour wasn’t put there, because there was a steel crotch-guard usually in place there with the locking plates at the thighs, but... well.

Steel gauntlets in her hair, holding her steady as she serviced the knight who’d been the tavern guest...

It was what a barmaid did, right?

She was not against... checking things out, right?

She caught sight of Winter leaving the briefing room, her sister’s eyes heavy and tired-looking, her hand raised in a brief salute, before she smiled gently, understanding the difficulties of her sister.

“Enjoy your... _date_ , Weiss. I heard from Mother, she- She called earlier this morning. She-“

The tired look on her sister’s face grew worse, as Weiss watched her. She felt bad for her sister, but they were still in public, so she couldn’t hug her sister, not without grounded reasons. Her sister loved the Atlas military and the Kingdom, so it was duty, obligation... and her love for the members of the family that were there for her, that drove her.

“You had a fun time together. That is-“

Her sister’s control shattered for a moment and she could see the doubt in her sister’s eyes. Weiss felt herself freeze. Mother didn’t know. Mother didn’t know that Winter would be gone, and-

_‘She’ll... relapse.’_

She’d been enjoying her newly revived mother, the warm woman who had been there to guard her from the ‘snow-Grimm’ during their trips out to the park, the smile on the woman’s lips warm and gentle as she’d spoken softly of how the snow-Grimm would kidnap little Weiss who weren’t covering their hands in the soft warm mitts when they made snowballs.

“Perhaps I should visit mother as well before- Before I am reassigned to _other_ duties.”

She met her sister’s eyes, the eyes sad and yearning. They closed and then were resolute once more.

“Enjoy your date, Weiss. Make him-“

Her sister’s next word should be _happy_ , but the eyes, frozen and set in that expression of stern professionalism, shattered for a moment. Her sister looked down and sighed.

“ _Enjoy_ the wonderful sister that I have. I am sure that you’ll have fun, that you’ll-“

She paused, and her sister’s mask cracked, the stern features that had been resolute once upon a time when she’d proudly announced that she’d be the Winter Maiden, only a week before, when they’d gone to see the Winter Maiden, now cracking to reveal the woman below, one who yearned for that passion, that touch and connection.

_‘I feel bad... But you wanted it, you said it was for Remnant’s good, for the Kingdom’s good...’_

Winter didn’t look like she wanted to give it up, like she wanted to stay with Jaune and have a family. It was something that Weiss knew she’d like too, with someone who genuinely loved her. She knew that Jaune was probably the best shot, and since Neptune was a no-show who tended to go for other girls...

“Winter, I-“

Her sister placed a hand on hers, smiling that small smile that’d never been genuine before and now, wasn’t even hiding the pain.

“Talk to me tomorrow, around... say, ten? My duties are done then for the day, and- and I’d like to hear how it went. Mister Arc will be more compatible with you.”

Weiss nodded, understanding what her sister was getting at, knowing that for Winter, it was service to Atlas or to betray her vows to the military apparatus, the Maiden’s powers something that she would grow into.

_‘I hope it doesn’t hurt...’_

She smiled and her sister walked past her, just moving along, as Ruby urged her along, the smile on Ruby’s face clearly showing something afoot. She had to prepare for a mission, after all. A mission and then a date...

_‘I’ll pick up a casserole from the store...’_

Weiss Schnee was not going to stop at this, she wanted to know what it felt like, what it would be like. She had her fantasies, but the real thing was supposed to be much better.

_‘Hmm...’_

She definitely was making sure that the others were gone. Weiss Schnee was going to lose her virginity.

* * *

He stood in front of the door leading towards team RWBY’s room, the small corsage within his jacket looking as fine as he could, his eyes peering inquisitively at the door, which was opened by Yang, who gave him a once-over.

“Fancy, fancy... So, you ready to take our little Ice Queen out on a date, huh?”

She cracked her knuckles, looking like she’d like to punch him out. He didn’t flinch away, his eyes meeting hers. Yang was just a bit overprotective, he supposed, and it’d be worse if it’d be Ruby.

“She asked for it, and I saw no reason to refuse. Unless of course you want to make it a double date with Blake and you, of course?”

Yang turned red, turning her gaze away, mumbling something like ‘not that far yet...’ which was honestly adorable to see, the confidence that she had in her gone at the suggestion he had made. Yang turned around, looking at someone in the room.

“Your boyfriend’s come to pick you up, Weiss!”

There was someone that gave a squeaky sound, as Ruby started to giggle really loudly, a sound of ‘No, that’s the wrong one! STOP HIDING IT!’ coming from Weiss as she seemed to search for something, his sigh loud, as he looked at Yang’s smirking face.

“Putting in a lot of effort for our little Weiss there, vomit boy... Are we going to see a repeat of the Winter thing, huh? If you hurt her, I’ll not be gentle-“

_‘No.’_

He looked into Yang’s eyes, feeling the pain inside his heart clench. He genuinely liked Winter, he knew that she was someone who could lighten the load on anyone’s heart with her smile and her joy for dancing.

“She asked for a _date_ , Yang. I’m not going to commit to someone- No, not anymore.”

He remembered Pyrrha, how the way that she’d danced around the issue ended up in a kiss before he was pushed into the locker and flying off, before she met her destiny. He had felt something special with Winter, and Willow was a mystery to him, but-

_‘I just want them SAFE, I want them to LIVE.’_

His heart would break if they died and he could’ve prevented it. Winter was a strong woman, mature in many ways, but frighteningly brittle in others. She pushed him away, tried to at least. He could see it in her expression, as familiar with Weiss as he was.

_‘Cinder always brings death and ashes with her...’_

“Cheer up, Jaune. Now’s not the time to be sad, now’s the time to go and take Weiss out for something fun!”

The door was opened and Weiss appeared, dressed in-

She was dressed in her Huntress outfit, which didn’t look so bad, but he kind of had wanted to take her out somewhere casual. She looked at him and questioned him, giving a soft sound of confusion.

“We’re going _casual,_ Weiss. Could you put on a dress?”

She flushed a little, making him smile, his eyes noticing that the makeup was done perfectly, as she seemed to have spend time on it. Yang started to laugh, a comment of ‘I told you so!’ from her being silenced by Weiss huffing in her cute and adorable way.

“Of course! _Five_ _minutes_.”

The door slammed shut and Weiss’ voice started to shout behind the door for wrong impressions, and to ‘stop that laughter, Yang!’, as he chuckled softly. He’d only worn the casual version of his clothing, as he wanted to make certain that it wouldn’t be an expedition into some dangerous circumstances.

She emerged in a black dress that he’d seen Weiss wear during a little formal gathering, it certainly fit her well enough, her skin flustered and hot as she looked at him with those blue eyes that held hopes and promises for the future.

“H-hello. Sorry that it took a bit.”

He smiled and offered her his arm. It would be fine, as he walked with her through Atlas Academy towards the transport hub that’d been built into the facility. He was attentive to her, as they spotted Winter and Clover getting out of one of the transports, the Ace Ops team leader looking at the two of them whilst Winter froze up, meeting his eyes and then glancing at Weiss at his side.

_‘I feel so bad for you...’_

He didn’t like to see people in pain. He didn’t even want to see them suffering if he could help it, and he saw Weiss slow down a little, feeling the resistance as she slowed her pace, the heels tapping onto the stone floor stopping, as Winter passed them by and Clover gave them a look.

“Good luck on your date, kids.”

Winter twitched, her head turning around and meeting his eyes. Pain, something more than that, flickering in her eyes. She was sad, in despair and without a rudder to steer her properly, her eyes glinting with the onset of tears.

“Thank you, Mister Ebi.”

_‘I’ll do what I must.’_

He’d corner Winter sometime tomorrow, if he could. He’d bring her to her mother, and he’d let her _talk_ with her mother. Willow did not deserve to be distant to her daughters, not now she was feeling better.

“Let’s go to Mantle, okay?”

Half an hour later and they sat down at the diner, the spot that he’d reserved for them away from the spot where he’d been with Winter, not willing to look at it. The food was great, and it’d be different from what Weiss was used to.

She looked nervous, he could tell. Her eyes were looking away from him nervously, the flush on her cheeks reddening. Her sister had been cool and efficient, but Weiss was flustered.

“Relax, Weiss.”

He laid a hand on her hand to soothe her, pushing his Aura into her, slowly letting it fade out a little, the smile on her lips brilliant, as she shifted a little, her eyes meeting his.

“Thank you, I- I was a little nervous. H-how are you?”

He was sure that there was no need for nervousness, as he smiled. This was the date that he’d wanted for years, the date that he’d hoped he’d get at Beacon, smiling at her.

“Not bringing out the guitar, Weiss. You can be at ease, I won’t be singing for you today.”

She laughed softly, her head shaking slightly, the braid shifting a bit on her head, her elbows resting on the table.

“It’s been two years. I’m sure that you’ll be... not unwelcome, if you gave me a serenade.”

He watched her eyes, as he felt her knee brush against his own, the soft but delicate touch of her skin against his pants.

“I don’t want to rush things, Weiss. You’re a wonderful girl, but-“

Her hand grabbed his own and she pulled it to her chest, laying it on her breast, looking at him with her eyes filled with emotion.

“I wouldn’t be _alive_ if not for you, Jaune. _Please_.”

Her eyes were pleading, as he felt the breast below his hand. He didn’t grab it, nor did he squeeze down, looking into her eyes. Her lip trembled for a moment, her sister’s expression flickering onto her face, as she looked at him with eyes.

“Let’s have dinner first, okay? I’ve got some plans.”

She let go of his hand, as she shifted a little uncomfortably. He slowly pulled back, her eyes looking into his own.

“I... I think that I’ll allow you to take me to a movie. I- I am aware that it might not have been the best thing to repay your kindness. My sister- You went dancing with her, I remember. She loved it, but- I know I am just a younger sister, but-“

_‘You don’t have to act like you’re supposed to be her replacement.’_

He didn’t respond, looking at her and grabbing her hand. He felt like he was the worst. Her mother’s lips had been on his cock the evening before, and he’d loved that. It had been... it had been nice, and he looked into Weiss her eyes.

“You’re Weiss Schnee. I said to your sister that I wouldn’t let her fall into despair, and I will say that to you as well... I’m catching you when you fall, Weiss.”

She inhaled softly, looking at him with a smile that reached her eyes, her hand squeezing his on, a lighter one, less burdened by the weight of her family and her woes. It would be a nice date, if he didn’t know what was looming in front of her family.

“Let’s... eat, Jaune.”

They had their dinner, the food good and well-cooked, the server recognizing him from the time he’d been here to eat with the mothers of the children that he’d shepherded, and Weiss spoke a little about her youth, his own voice adding some of the stories that he’d heard about his own younger years from his recollection.

_‘I feel so bad...’_

The movie that they saw was a drama that had been released only a few months before, featuring a Pre-Great War love story between a human and a Faunus, marketed as something outlandish, but he didn’t really think much about it, knowing that it wouldn’t be too different from dating human girls. Faunus were just like humans, after all.

As they were on the transport back up to Atlas, Weiss looked at him with questioning eyes, as she cleared her throat.

“Jaune, would you- Would you like to come to my dorm and taste my casserole?”

He looked into her eyes, his body feeling weak at the sight of those pleading eyes, and he knew that he was lost. The girl that he’d pined after for months, who he’d given up the chance to go to the dance with, was now asking him whether he’d like to taste her casserole, Mantlean for casual sex. His eyes looked into her own and he knew that he was damned.

_‘I don’t deserve it.’_

He was someone who was struggling against destiny and fate, with it’s cruel mistress called Cinder Fall, the hungry power-addict who had taken from him his partner. Weiss looked fragile, tender and yearning, as her lips parted and then closed. She was nervous, she was eager, she did not stop to question whether this was the right thing to do, as she had asked.

“If you’re fine with me? I’m not Neptune, and I’m not-”

She shook her head, looking into his eyes with that expressiveness in her gaze. She was nearly desperate, if he read her emotions well enough, using Willow and Winter as a guideline.

“No, _no_ , don’t think that you’re not anything but perfect, Jaune. I’ve... I’ve been wanting this. I’m-“

_‘I want to feel loved, at least once in my life.’_

Winter’s words, mimicking Weiss her words. He felt the sadness bubble up inside him, and his resolve firmed. He looked at her and grabbed her by her head, the fingers at the base of her braid and he just kissed her. She stiffened under his assault, but he held on, her body trembling at the feeling.

_‘If you want this, Weiss...’_

His hand grabbed her and pulled her close, her head following his motion, as his tongue pushed into her mouth, her own lips broken into in a kiss of passion. Weiss would feel the love of a man, because she wanted it.

She broke the kiss, heavily panting, her eyes looking at him with shock and awe in her eyes, the tongue sliding over her lips as she looked at him. He noticed that her nipples were hard, her breathing not calming down.

“That- I need to- One moment.”

She picked up the Scroll and dialled a number, Ruby’s higher-pitched voice coming from the Scroll.

“Get out of the dorm and take your sister and her girlfriend with you! Operation White Knight is a go! Shoo!”

He looked at her as Ruby replied in the affirmative, wishing her a nice time, Weiss looking at him, a confident smile on her lips.

“Operation White Knight?”

She blushed, looking down for a moment with a flash of uncertainty on her face.

“Jeiss sounded bad. So, White Knight.”

He stared at her for a moment as she looked up, tapping her fingers against his chest, looking into his eyes with that hot and fierce expression.

“Don’t laugh! I _know_ you’re hiding a laugh there, Jaune Arc.”

He kissed her again, silencing her, mentally laughing a little at the name that she’d uttered. White Knight... That was almost as bad as the moment they’d had at the Vytal Festival, with Pyrrha and Nora and Ren and-

_‘Do you believe in Destiny?’_

He pulled from Weiss her soft lips, looking down at her with a smile that was more comforting than he’d imagined it, feeling the warmth bloom inside him as he pushed his Aura into her.

“Let’s get that casserole. I’ll go get some condoms. I didn’t want to assume-“

She looked at him with that confident smirk on her lips, much like her sister could have. Winter had been somewhat smug and yet womanly in her nature, but Weiss seemed to brim with confidence, as they walked from the transport five minutes later, her hand in his own.

They spotted the other members of team RWBY there, Ruby looking at Weiss and giving a thumbs-up, Yang and Blake holding hands, Blake’s eyes looking at him with that distant Faunus look.

_‘Let’s hope that the little trick works... I’ve been trying it with Nora earlier during our spar, just to give an edge... so maybe it'll work... Let's hope she doesn't pass out like her sister.’_

* * *

Weiss felt eager and nervous at the same time as she darted into the dorm room, spotting the mess that the others had left. Grabbing the leftover stockings that’d been tossed out onto the bed and throwing them into the bag that sat next to it, Blake’s messy habits undoubtedly going to bite her in the rear one of these days, pushing Yang’s bra back into the pack next to it and throwing three of the messy shirts in the hamper, she mentally lamented that this was going to be a nightmare, he was going to see her team’s messy room, whilst his own looked so neat and tidy...

_‘Perhaps we should’ve gone to his room. Didn’t they have a protocol or something about ‘relation time’?’_

She worried that they might get interrupted. She worried that he might do something buffoonish and stupid, like pulling her into the hallway and- well, maybe if it was later during their coupling. She heard the knock on the door, having just tidied up the mammoth mega mammary holders that Yang had been trying to spread everywhere like some ill-tempered blonde brute with her big bust... Ugh, she hated being the least chesty member of the team. Her bras fit!

“W-wait a moment! I’m not done yet!”

She wasn’t. She wasn’t done yet at all. She wanted to play out one of her fantasies first, just to see- well, it was _normal_ wasn’t it? You were up in business gear all day, working off some tension, and she just pulled her gloves on, glancing at herself in the mirror. Braid. Outfit. Bit of cleavage. _Hot._

_‘Good... Now... Now little Weiss Schnee gets laid.’_

She couldn’t wait. She wouldn’t wait. She might be dead tomorrow, and she’d have _fun_.

She opened the door to see him standing there, his hand having a large size condom package of twelve. She shivered. She could only imagine how that big hard shaft would be plundering her innocent girlhood, to make her into a woman, his fingers playing over the package as he gripped it awkwardly.

“Weiss, you?”

He sounded confused as to why she’d want to be dressed for their job, for the moment when they’d be slaying Grimm. A coy smile, as she pulled him in, shutting the door behind him with a push of the fingers.

“Now, I was thinking to do a few of my... _fantasies_.”

She shivered as she said it. The lewd thoughts started to come, ungirlish and uncouth. Father would be aghast, as she knelt before her partner of the night, the _first_ partner that she’d ever have who she’d share her body with. Who she’d-

_‘I’m feeling like I’m doing something illegal.’_

She was petite. She was _short_. She was at his crotch’s height and she peered up at him, as her hands laid on his hips, the jeans being a barrier to what laid behind.

_‘Here goes nothing...’_

“A Huntress captured by a big brute, _forced_ to service him orally... I-If you’re o-okay with that, o-of course.”

She trembled, knowing that he might not be. She knew that it was a little strange to request, to cater to her fantasies, but it was- well. His hand grabbed her by the braid and she just grew _wet_. He looked a little more certain, his eyes boring into hers.

She came, maybe just a little, as he looked down into her.

“And now you’re going to suck my cock. Eh, is that right?”

The insecurity for a moment was so Jaune that she giggled, as her hands stroked over his hips, her head held by his grip, putting on her best performance. Her fingers slid to the front. One thought came to her mind.

_‘Big.’_

More thoughts than just that came to mind, as his hands firmed a little on her head, fingers grabbing a hold of him, her eyes narrowing slightly. She found the zipper and then tugged it out, seizing it between her teeth and then tugging it down, imagining him guiding her through the motion, the Huntress at his mercy. He was _warm_.

“You’re here to suck, Weiss.”

Mentally, she corrected him, as she pulled the pants open and slid them down, aware of what lurked behind the underwear. It’d been a small glimpse that she saw with her sister, something large, something like a threat to her chastity, a threat to...

Her teeth tugged the underwear down and she saw what he was packing. A long stave-tube of flesh, half-flaccid. Half-flaccid, and definitely thicker than she expected. Her mouth ran dry, the sniff audible, as she smelled that male scent, that arousal that clung to it. This had gone into her sister, had taken her sister’s virginity. It’d put her sister in the bed for a day, until her muscles healed up.

_‘Oh gods... It’ll...’_

It’d ruin her. It’d ruin her tiny body until she couldn’t stand anymore. It’d make her his s- She clenched her thighs together, her breathing sharp as she looked up at him, her nose pressing against the covered head, her gloved hands touching it. She’d wanted to give a snappy retort, but it was _so_ big.

“Stroke it, Weiss.”

Her hand grabbed it with a grip, the glove undoubtedly needing to be in the wash for tomorrow’s load. She had spares. It wasn’t a clean job, but the glove touched that fat stave, feeling the throbbing pulse below, and it _hardened_.

_‘Mommy.’_

A slow running of her tongue over her lips was inevitable, the first tug making the head poke against her forehead. His hand was still on her head and she pulled back a little, feeling him give. This wouldn’t do.

“You’ve got me captured, you big brute... Are you going to make me suck it, hmm? Does a stroking of that big hard co-“

_‘Oh gods.’_

It got bigger. This was... a bit beyond bounds. A bit? No, a _lot_. It looked like it’d be plundering her womanhood like a pillaging barbarian.

“Shut up and lick it, Weiss.”

He got the hint, she supposed. Her tongue slid over the side, slowly stroking over the flesh with a feathery touch, tasting the salty taste of sweat, smelling that male scent as her hand supported herself. His hand gripped her head firmly and she was guided, making the fantasy more real.

“Hmmm-hahhh... filthy brute.”

He was really clean, actually, but she was just... Playing along, and he did as well. She felt him press her down to the base of his cock, the balls pressing against her lips, her mouth opening without resistance and suckling on them, her eyes looking up at him like the little Huntress she was, the defeated one, forced to serve-

It was a _kink_ , she knew. Her father had been strict, he’d raised his hand against her, and he’d been... well, it’d not been great growing up, but-

Her head was jerked up and she felt the head press against her lips. It was large, broad and manly. Heavy, she might imagine. Any frail girl without a Huntress’ constitution would be _ruined_ with this shaft.

“Open up.”

Her jaw parted, as she saw the fat stave of flesh push forward, her throat feeling the pressure as he slid into her, the grip on her braided hair strong. Her eyes rolled back as he didn’t stop, wondering how Winter could even _take_ the damn thing, feeling how she slid down on that fat shaft and felt his balls hit her chin, her eyes slowly rolling back as he jerked her head back, his caring look making it even hotter.

He’d never make her feel bad intentionally, as her head was pushed forward, so easily. His hands were big, easily manhandling her, a ‘glk!’ sound coming as her throat was violated again by that large cock, her breathing so heavy that it was like a gust of wind, a debauched little shudder, as he pulled her head off his cock.

“Are you?”

She made a coughing sound, as she pressed herself against that shaft, feeling it throb and pulse. She felt... _good_. It was different than with Ruby, it was a lot different, but it was _great_.

“Is this what you want, huh? Am I just a hole for your pleasure? You _brute_ , I’m Weiss Schnee, and I am-“

_‘I’m just the girl that’s lucky to have you.’_

She might’ve had an orgasm or two. Might have. It totally wasn’t intentional, but when he controlled, it was better than anything. His cock pushed into her mouth and she was smacking her chin against his balls as he drove himself into her mouth and throat, an utterance that’d bitten at him to ravish her, and he _did_.

She definitely needed to change her underwear after this. It would be stained with her juices, and he was-

It was a pulse. It was a throb. It was the feeling of something massive sliding down that shaft’s underside, the vein giving a singular throb as the hot blood fed the load down into her, and Weiss Schnee came until her body twitched and throbbed, her underwear definitely a goner. She did an uncomfortable split as her body twitched and she moaned, his hands on her head keeping her there, ready to take more of that seed as the next wave of seed jetted down into her stomach, the cloying scent filling her nostrils, as he slowly backed her head up, feeling that large shaft push her mouth open. After he was done and the warmth of his Aura wrapped around her to heal any discomfort, her lips found the head of his shaft and gave it a soft kiss.

Her breath reeked of semen. Her breath smelled like a dirty Mantle hooker, and she _loved_ it. She felt happiness go through her as she got up, slowly rising on unsteady legs, his hand there to support her. He was a good support, and she was going to _claim_ him, because her sister was going to be the Winter Maiden.

It wouldn’t hurt Jaune if he didn’t _know_ of the sacrifice her sister made for Atlas.

“Are you okay?”

She gave a small nod, not trusting her speech right now. Everything felt a little jittery, and that’d just been a blowjob, forced upon her by the huntsman who’d captured her. She leaned against the bed, trying to get her brain into order.

_‘Now... Hmm...’_

She slowly stripped. The belts came off. The gloves weren’t needed, and, well, she’d better give him time to get ready again. Boys had to wait a little whilst-

She noticed that he was still hard, his eyes looking at her with that conflicted expression, but he was still... _hard_. Slow throbs made it quiver, as he was hard for _her_.

_‘Oh...’_

“S-sex, o-okay? I’ve... I’ve got a fantasy. I-it’s okay, is it?”

She stuttered. She _stuttered_ , because she felt the nervousness go through her. If he didn’t go down, that’d...

_‘He’d break me. He’d break me and keep fucking me.’_

That was such a hot thought. A little heiress, kept tame in her bedroom, fucked by a man with inexhaustible stamina, begging and pleading to be-

She might have just gotten ready for orgasm number... four? Three or four, she wasn’t really picky. She knew that she should’ve gotten more drinks for the mid-game break.

“We can take a little break if you need to. Winter passed out when I put it in for the first time. I don’t want to hurt you.”

_‘With that monster, you’d have been the stud of Beacon. By the gods, I was blind when I was younger. No wonder your mother put eight children into the world...’_

The thought that there were only two remaining on the world was something that cast a dark shadow, as she imagined him dressed in her grandfather’s armour, wielding a large sword. A gallant knight with a dark past, guarding the princesses of House Schnee from the rapists and defiler barbarians of the White Fang nation...

_‘Okay, I may or may not have read those books of Blake. This isn’t Ninja’s Need Nothing IV: The Village Assault.’_

“No, I’m... I’m _sorry,_ you must think I’m terribly weird, or-“

She felt a dash of insecurity, yet his smile was warm as he assisted her with getting her clothing off, helping her without complaint.

“Your sister was... well, she pulled me out of a club and gave me eh... well, what we just did, in an alley. I think someone saw us, but she was _very_ adamant. Sorry that your sister’s image was ruined, but- But I don’t think that it’s anything to be ashamed of.”

_‘Stop making yourself into husband material, Jaune.’_

The clock was ticking, and she wanted to get laid. Her team might be back later, and she wanted to get laid. She wanted it, she needed it, and she was currently in his arms.

“N-no, I’m... I’ve had this thought, and... Me on my back, and you just... touching me. Touching me, teasing me. Whispering at me that this is payback for the dance, that I’m going to be paying you back with my body.”

It was sinful. It was not great to admit that, but she did. It’d been... well, since he’d saved her life, she’d had a different view on the Arc than before, knowing that he’d do whatever it took to safeguard her, _them_ , from death. That she had thoughts about him being a horde of barbarians ravishing the innocent princess until she was a cum-coated mess was just natural.

“If that’s what you want, Weiss.”

She nodded, her underwear on the ground now, as her bra was pulled off. He was still wearing his shirt, the silly man, as she helped him out of it. Close up, his shaft bumped against her stomach. It hit her navel, and she realized that she was small. Small, weak, unable to resist. He’d take _whatever_ liberty with her body that he could, and she _craved_ that.

“Y-yes.”

She was on the bed a moment later, and his larger form bumped against the ceiling, the short hair brushing against the ceiling as well, as his large hands touched her. A gasp came from her lips as his fingers explored over her body, the pale flesh below the rough big hands sensitive, as his eyes gazed into hers.

“This is for going with that fucking Neptune.”

She shivered, her hands on his wrists, as if to fight him off, as if to stop him, but it felt _good_. A moan came from her lips as his fingers slid up, touching and massaging, making her useless to resist. She smelled him, smelling the seed still faintly in her breath, the look on his face like it was intense.

“Teasing me with your sexy body. Dancing by yourself.”

_‘Gods...’_

She was wetter than rain in Mistral. Her breasts were cupped by his hands, easily manipulated. Her nipples were hard, poking against his palms, shuddering exhales, tears coming to her eyes.

“I should’ve just dragged you to the dorm room and fucked you.”

Her eyes rolled back for a moment with the orgasm that accompanied that thought. Harsh, rough lovemaking. No resistance to him, as he took her like a naughty girl that needed her punishment with his long and thick cock.

“Weiss? Are you okay?”

The concern in his voice, and she realized that she’d seemingly blacked out for a moment. She nodded quickly.

“Neptune was a better m-“

She couldn’t finish the sentence, as she felt his cock bump against her leg. She looked at that stave of flesh, if that went into her... if that penetrated her, raw and uncovered with a condom, she’d...

_‘Oh... Oh, OH....’_

“Shut the fuck up, Weiss.”

He was learning her triggers. His cockhead drooled a thick strand of slimy pre-seed down onto her belly, as his hands slid up higher. He tickled her armpits, leading to a rash of giggles, a soft guttural moan coming from her lips as his hands were pushed away by her own.

“E-Enough, J-Jaune, I’d...”

She looked down. There was a small puddle forming around her navel, the slimy pre-seed copious. He was _eager_. All eager for her. He’d been eager for her sister as well.

“Fuck me. Neptune was a better fuck anyways, he was _better_ in _every_ way.”

A bald-faced lie. That snake in the grass chased every skirt there was. He looked like he was going to violate her, to take her, make her scream and moan and leave scratches on him. A condom was grabbed, to her relief and faint disappointment, but it was natural for him, it seemed, to use protection. Her sister had been careful with that, and he had learned from that.

“Oh, does the little failure of a Huntsman need a condom?”

His hand fitted around her throat, pushing her back against the bed. She looked at him, feeling his hand guard her throat, pressing down not too roughly, but treating her like she wanted to be treated. Passion, anger and frustration, a man who wanted to make her _his_. It was not at all like her father was, but someone who saw her as Weiss Schnee, woman, someone to love and hold and-

The head pressed against her pussy lips. She looked at him and she shivered. Something in those eyes had changed, and they looked determined. Just a little bit of a taunt, and she’d lose her virginity.

“Let’s make sure that Neptune knows whose girl you are.”

He made a motion with his hand, flicking something away, as if he’d decided to just go in raw. She shuddered. He looked into her eyes and she felt him penetrate her. Her eyes rolled back and she nearly passed out as he pushed his weight on top of her, slamming himself home into her, the pain causing her to black out for a millisecond before warmth wrapped around her.

_‘Warm. Very warm.’_

She was feeling hot, her body tingling a little as it was wrapped in a hot blanket of heat around her extremities, her eyes looking into his own worried blue ones. Her pussy hurt. It felt like someone had rammed an arm in there, and he was concerned for her as he asked.

“Are you okay, Weiss?”

She was most certainly _not_ okay. She _hurt_ , but it was-

“Big.”

She chanced down a look, seeing the bulge in her stomach. That was... that was _Jaune_. Oh gods, he was so big she actually looked right at that shaft ensuring that a bulge protruding from her stomach. He slowly started to move, the bulge shrinking miraculously.

“Ah... Neptune fucks harder than a weakling like you.”

A lie, but he pulled back. The condom around his cock was covered with a reddish smear. He’d been her first. Probably the last. Damn. It wasn’t supposed to hurt like this! Curse her lack of inheriting the tallness of her grandfather!

“Weiss, if it hurts, I can-“

She grabbed him with an arm hooked around his neck.

“Fuck me, Jaune Arc, or I swear to the gods that I will stab Myrtenaster in a spot that’s very tight and painful! Come on, _do it!_ Fuck me like you fucked my sister!”

The words came out, and his eyes darkened, and she knew that she’d messed up. She knew that he was still hurting, that this had been a mistake and that-

The air escaped her lungs as he drove himself into her, breasts flattened against his chest, his body moving like a savage train ramming into her at full-speed, entering her love tunnel and sticking, before reversing and then pulling back. She was smashed against the mattress, her legs spread suddenly from the brief and savage thrust.

“Weiss.”

Her name was spoken, but she could only utter a squeak, the air not back into her lungs again, as he domineered her with his presence, wrath and anger at being denied her sister. She felt wrong, he felt raw, but she couldn’t _speak_. She felt how the air filled her lungs, and then escaped as he drove himself into her again, his teeth biting down onto her neck.

She thrashed as an orgasm hit, and he continued onwards, ceaseless and without restraint, a runaway engine that was meant for Schnee pleasure. She felt the suckling mouth on her flesh as he thundered away. The orgasm came as he worked up steam, trying to please her, his face visible for some moments, as the tears dripped from his eyes.

It wasn’t her name that he uttered as he came, his shaft driven deeply into her depths as the cock throbbed and pulsed with that impending erupting load surging from the depths, the condom swelling up with his load, threatening to burst, but her older sister’s name, as he trembled and quivered, the hot tears leaking onto her shoulders. She felt bad, but it was something that she’d said and couldn’t take back.

“I’m _sorry_.”

He shouldn’t be. She’d said it in the heat of the moment. Her pussy burned, that hard cock still inside her, the condom filled with his seed. He pulled out of her, as she gave a hesitant smile, the condom tied off inexpertly. She’d have to practise more, she’d have to- well, if there even _was_ a next time.

“I’m the one who was sorry, I- _I_ was the one who got too into it.”

Weiss knew that she’d fucked up. He’d came, yes, but he’d moaned her sister’s name, like his heart had broken. She’d loved it, but she’d _ruined_ it as well. He looked at her and his hand locked with hers.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make up for it. It was... it was your first time, wasn’t it?”

She gave a very tiny nod, still aware that she’d messed up. She shouldn’t have told him that, he’d- She hurt him.

“I’m... Do you have any fantasies, Jaune?”

He looked at her and shook his head, looking away after a moment.

“You, happy. Your sister happy, your little brother and mother, happy. Nora, Ren, and... And all the rest. _Alive_. _Smiling_.”

She squeezed his hand, before she looked down. She’d lost the mood, she’d broken the mood, and she’d ruined things, because she was _stupid_. It’d been fresh, it’d been lust, craving, something more than that, and she’d fucked up.

“So... Do you have other fantasies?”

She wasn’t sure whether she should share. He smiled at her, the smile genuine as far as she could tell. His hand let go of hers, as he offered his best smile, even though the tears had come earlier. He seemed to want to continue.

“If- If you want to, Jaune.”

He gave a small nod. A smile on his lips.

“She’d kick my ass if she heard that I gave her sister bad sex. ‘I expected more for my younger sister, Mister Arc! Such a paltry performance makes you unsuitable for a Schnee!’ So... We’ve had a huntress in peril, a bit of dance-time revenge, what’s next?”

His imitation of her sister at her prissiest and most formal was fairly on-point, as she giggled a little. It seemed he was willing to excuse her little slip-up and work past it. He was a good man. She could trust him, not that he’d ever lose her trust. He was dependable.

_‘He would’ve been perfect as a brother in law, Winter...’_

They fit well together, with his care and his protectiveness and Winter’s perfectionist streak. It was a shame...

“A maid who spills her Master’s drink and requires punishment... ooh, and after we’re done, we can borrow Ruby’s cloak. I’m sure she doesn’t mind. After that, let’s... Let’s have a little break, okay?”

She had already planned things out. She knew her own stamina and now had a favourable idea of what his limits were. She couldn’t _wait_. She had the vocal training to try and mimic Ruby’s higher-pitched voice and she knew where Ruby’s old Beacon time outfit was kept in the bag that her partner had. With a bit of dress-up... well, no silver-eyed contacts, but she could do a passable imitation of Ruby’s little pout.

Jaune would do _anything_ for a friend, wouldn’t he?

* * *

She woke up to the sound of the door opening, aware that she’d fallen asleep sometime around... four? Five? Her head turned to see that there was no Jaune next to her, and she checked the time, hearing a low whistle. The thong dug into her crotch, which was pleasantly burning.

Sex was _great_.

“Holy snickerdoodles... It _reeks._ Weiss, did you-“

She raised her head, aware that her braid had come undone sometime during the sixth little play that they’d done. Little 'Ruby Rose' had been servicing her best friend Jaune like a good little cock addict should, that high-pitched voice silenced with his hard cock.

“Ah- Schnee D-“

Ruby turned as red as her cloak and Weiss looked down, painstakingly looking at the condoms that’d been hooked into the thong, and-

_‘Oh shit.’_

It was unladylike to cuss, and she most certainly did not cuss, no, but she cursed aloud something quite a bit more vehement. Blake and Yang merely stared, Yang turning away whilst Blake just stared openmouthed and full of surprise at her state of being. She tried to get out of bed, tried to go for the sheets, but-

“Aww, fuck.”

Her embarrassment could only get greater if they’d seen... well, they’d probably see the few condoms that’d been flicked against the wall when she’d gotten impatient.

Seeing herself with ‘Schnee Dick Cumdumpster’ scrawled on her cheek with an arrow pointing towards her mouth was most assuredly not what her team must’ve had in mind for Weiss her ‘Operation White Knight’, or the tally marks on her thighs that kept track of her orgasms... or well, the _approximate_ number. She’d lowered it a little. She’d hit the low thirties when ‘Ruby Rose’ was ravished. It was... well, it was _hot_.

Sex was _great_.

“Arc Dick Cumpany?”

Blake’s tone was as dry as the Vacuo desert as Weiss flushed beet-red. That’d been written above her pubic mound with little arrows towards her labia. It’d been _her_ idea.

Why hadn’t he woken her up?!

THIS WAS _SO_ EMBARRASSING!

“I- I had a good time?”

Definitely. Definitely a good time, definitely a little more than that.

“I’ll... I’ll go get the shower started, you need to- you need to get clean.”

Yang went for the bathroom, and Weiss relaxed for a moment. Trust Yang to be sensi-

_‘Oh no, no, no’_

“ _Wait_ , _don’t_ open that doo-“

Yang opened the door and she shivered. Weiss groaned, as she looked at her older sister, whose eyebrows had raised themselves near the hairline.

“This... what in the-“

_“Come on, try it out! I want to see it!”_

That experiment had worked _wonderfully_. Weiss stumbled to the bathroom, and pushed past Yang. They’d not cleaned the shower, but it had been _magnificent._

“It’s... water? No, lube? It smells...”

Weiss winced. That was not water, nor was it lube.

“He... Eh... He used his Semblance on himself.”

Weiss understated that somewhat. It’d been one moment where he’d glowed, and then she’d been hit in the face with what seemed to be a pint of sperm, splattering against her face and her breasts, the shower walls stained white with that fierce eruption, as he gave a soft ‘uh-oh’, the next salvo hitting the wall, slowly drooling down. She’d caught the next one on the chest, hot and slimy, sliding down her breasts like she was queen of... gooey nasty naughty stuff. 

_‘That wasn’t... bad.’_

“That’s... quite a bit more volume than expected.”

Her Faunus teammate’s mastery of understating things was noted once more, as Yang seemed to click into the mood of what the whole slimy thing was. Her hand came away from the beaker really fast.

“OH GODS, IT’S IN MY TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER! YUCK!”

_‘It also was wiped off using your towel.’_

She didn't dare mention that... yet.

“She needs a _shower_ , guys. A shower and- Is that my _cloak_?”

Weiss winced. She’d hoped to do the laundry before... Ruby looked at her and frowned.

“It served a good cause?”

Ruby pouted a little, before she brightened.

“Oh, okay! Did you enjoy yourself?”

She nodded, Ruby looking her over a few more times. Something seemed to be off, as Ruby’s eyes found something awkward.

“Why did he write ‘You’re never going to be alone, because I’ll always be here for you’ on your back, Weiss?”

She shuddered at the thought, at the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. It’d been _safe_. She’d felt safer than she’d been, wrapped in the warmth of his body and with his aura burning brightly.

“He said that he’d always be there for me. For... For _us_.”

Her lungs filled with air as she inhaled deeply and then exhaled deeply as well, her eyes closing and not opening for a while, taking deeper breaths than she regularly would, her eyes opening again after half a minute had passed and Yang seemed to have ran out of steam about her ‘ruined toothbrush’. It’d been sex, it’d been _good_ sex and she wasn’t going to let him slip away from her!

“So... Do you want to hold a meeting or something, or can I just go and take a shower now?”

She tried to affect an air as if the condoms that’d been strung around the thong weren’t there, and she wasn’t looking like she’d gone three rounds with an angry Sabyr. Ruby perked up a little, Yang giving a wary look at the toothbrush still.

“Yeah! Team meeting tonight! Let’s talk about stuff, including Weiss her eh... kinky stuff! Girl talk!”

Yang made a sound like she was dying, as Blake merely shook her head.

“It hit the ceiling. _Why_ did it hit the ceiling?”

Weiss looked up. There was a wet patch on the ceiling as well, as Ruby whistled.

“I saw him _first_ , okay? _Damn._ That’s my male bestie!”

_‘Et tu, Ruby?’_

This was complicating. _Very_ complicating.

She hoped that Jaune’s mission today would be done soon. His Semblance was great for muscle cramps. She felt like she’d been fucked by a horse or something...

_‘Now there’s a thought...’_

She might be a bit perverted, yes. Sex was _amazing_ with a guy that loved you as just Weiss Schnee.

And, well... She owed Ruby for borrowing her cloak. Besties shared, didn’t they?

Her alarm clock started to ring, and she groaned a little. They’d been up _early_.

* * *

Jaune woke to the sight of Weiss Schnee curled up next to him, his cock lodged inside the gap between her thighs, the condom tied off and put on her hip. His alarm hadn’t gone off, but he knew that he had to be awake again, because of the children that counted on him.

Jaune’s eyes found Weiss her sleeping face and he kissed her on the lips softly, knowing that she needed the sleep. She’d been up for a long while, and she’d enjoyed herself. He was glad that he could do at least that, even if he had failed with her sister. It wasn’t going properly, but he would be there for the people that counted on him. The ladies with their children and those who’d died, they’d require a Huntsman to guide them to their school and back, and _he_ was that huntsman.

Weiss tried to keep him close, as her sister’s face flashed before his mind. Weiss had egged him on, telling him to cum inside her as if she was her sister. He’d _cried_. He’d broken down for a moment and forced himself to man up. It hurt, but there was no other way to deal with it.

Winter would become the Fall Maiden’s target, if she had the Winter Maiden’s powers. He wasn’t going to let Weiss be the only daughter alive to Willow. The woman deserved better than that.

_‘She’d love to see her daughter again.’_

He knew that it was a hunch, but that it was a good hunch. Willow wasn’t some woman made out of ice water and snow, she was someone who desired and craved the family that she’d abandoned. He slipped back into his pants, looking at Weiss. His underwear had been stuffed into her mouth once upon a moment during the ‘home invasion’ play, and he wasn’t going to wear it again.

_‘I’ll make sure that your daughters will be with you again, Willow...’_

His great-grandmother had survived the Great War together with his Great-Grandfather. His grandfather and Father had survived the Faunus Rights Revolution, and he’d made it through the Fall of Beacon.

It was regrettable that things had happened that had separated the family, but it was undeniable that he loved them with his whole heart. The picture on his Scroll that he’d gotten from Saphron as a memento was still there. All seven of his sisters, a few months before he’d gone to Beacon.

_‘The things I do...’_

Nora woke up as he opened the door, aware. He caught sight of Blake and Yang lying in his bed, Ruby having doubled up with Nora, who looked more or less sleepy, but hopped out of bed.

“Could you give me a hand? Weiss is still asleep.”

She scrubbed his back the best she could, even as the smell of sex clung to him. With how heavy a sleeper Ren was, he wasn’t even disturbed, as Nora’s delicate fingers rubbed over his back as he stood under the shower. He trusted her, even if she was now currently just ‘a little bit angry still’ with Ren. They’d get back together, he hoped.

“Jaune? Did she... Did she feel good?”

He hadn’t got anything to complain about. Willow hadn’t been as tight as Winter had been, and Weiss had been a pre-emptive Aura infusion, because he’d seen her eyes roll back as he’d thrust into her. The other things that they’d done had been... _heavy_.

_“Yes, yes, yes! Shut me up! I’m your bestie, Jaune. Pump me full.”_

That’d been hot. Weiss acting like a bit of a caricature of Ruby and moaning and pleading had been... _hot_. Winter would’ve been... well, there were definitely _differences_. Winter’s boldness and her slow romantic nature, Willow’s warmth...

He’d scrawled words on Weiss her back after she’d fallen asleep. He’d never let her be sad, as he’d do his best to make her and her sister smile again. He loved Winter, he felt very strongly about Weiss, but to call it love... not... not yet.

_‘The things you do for love...’_

A story that his great-grandmother told him about the maiden in the tower, the story of the shallow sea coming afterwards, fairytales that his sisters had long-since outgrown, but his grandmother’s voice still carried.

Stories of a knight in armour, saving the princess. Living with the princess in a castle...

_‘You won’t get her, Cinder.’_

He’d make sure of that. He just needed to find Cinder and do what he had to. No more people would die because of Cinder Fall and the women that he loved would _not_ be harmed either!

“Jaune?”

Nora’s voice was quiet, as he turned his head, her eyes looking at him questioningly.

“Do you think... Do you think that- With Winter, _that_?”

He nodded, once. Winter was a problem to tackle soon. His little trick with the Aura amping being done to his own strength allowed him to tear through enemies easily. If Cinder came at him again, he’d be _ready_ to do whatever it took to stop her.

“I’m not going to let her fall. Sometimes, a princess needs to be saved. Cinder- She’s got _allies_.”

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

The armour fit him well, as he lowered the helmet over his head, his features cast in the shadows. It was better to wear the helmet than to have it off, or else it might dent. With his weapon like it was, it wouldn’t be optimal to have a dent in your helmet when you were wielding the Arc family heirloom.

“Good morning, sleepyheads! It’s time for wakeup! Nora calls for aid! Bwahahaha!”

Nora woke team RWBY up, as he headed towards the mission board in General Ironwood’s office. He wasn’t going to be stopped, as the kids needed him. The Ace Ops had their missions already, and Winter would be with the Winter Maiden, the General alone in his office, staring out over the expanse outside the window.

“Mister Arc, your mission has been prepa- Oh? Now that’s a change.”

His voice was slightly muted thanks to the armoured helmet, as he stood proudly before the man, whose eyes sized him up. He should salute, but the man wasn’t his commanding officer.

“Weiss her mother bestowed it upon me, Sir. She said that it was a thank you for bringing her daughter home safe and sound. Well... and she wouldn’t be able to move in it. Winter and Weiss aren’t exactly the type who wear armour.”

The General gave a small smile, even as Jaune felt the coolness inside him settle, the general’s eyes looking at the mission board, tapping a few buttons.

“It suits you, as it suited Nicholas Schnee when I first met him. A man that is a worthwhile example to follow, Mister Arc. “

He hoped so. The man had loved his granddaughters and daughter. He loved Winter, at least... at least, he thought he did. If it had been mutual, it’d be...

“I hope it does, General Ironwood. Weiss and Winter are very special to me.”

He would give his life for them, because they mattered. If it could buy his friends the time to live and get away, he’d throw everything away. He was glad that the helmet allowed him little view of the outside, the General giving an encouraging smile.

“I have heard of your date, Mister Arc. I hope that everything went well.”

Weiss had loved it. That hadn’t been faked, as she’d come with suggestions. Hesitant at first, but he’d wanted to please her. After that first moment, where he’d broken down, he’d been gentler. She had sexual energy, more so than Winter’s loving need, and she was _Weiss._

_‘I hope she woke up well enough. Her alarm clock should go off in ten minutes.’_

He was an awkward sight in the flight down, the blade on his back fully enlarged, the sword ‘s two-handed shape large and unwieldy for most of the fights that didn’t take place in a wide-open space, but he was ready for it.

He got the sign at the station where Huntsmen supplies were kept, getting the jacket and putting it on. He’d best make sure that the kids knew that it was Jaune Arc, the protector of the innocent, doing his rounds.

He caught the mothers looking at him with a distant look, his hand pulling the helmet off, as he approached. Their smiles warmed his heart. He knew that it would be something that he’d have to practise, smiling when he didn’t feel like smiling. He smelled good, the armour fit well and moved well, and he was not going to have a problem in the future with moving whilst he wore this heavier armour.

“You look like a real knight, Jaune!”

One of the daughters of the women killed at the election party spoke up, and he smiled, the helmet on his face, the cloak worn as an accessory to give him that statuesque nature. He’d always heard it said that a man should be well-dressed from his grandmother, apparently something popularized around the end of the Great War, and so he did.

They nearly were at the school when he took the girl aside, motioning for the kids to cross the street, spotting something that solidified his determination.

“Hold up for a moment, kids. Viri? Do you think you could go and get in front of that man there and ask him whether he has the time? He’s ducking into that alley. I’ll be right behind you, the armour's a little heavy. Huntsman business.”

It only took three minutes to meet up with an old acquaintance after all, because they'd have a lot to talk about. He would need all the help he could get...

His Aura helped him move just a little faster as Viri reached his old friend, the tall man crouching a little. He would need help afterwards, because he could just see that his friend would be needing medical attention. 

_'I'm lucky today...'_

He was good at making the world a better place.  
  
He would make sure that everyone safe and alive.

* * *

**Jaune is a caring guy. Weiss and her kinkiness were a little surprising, but he made love to her as she wanted it. That Weiss has some odd kinks is solely the fault of her isolation. Reading naughty books from Blake has given her some ideas...**

**Jaune and Winter meet up in the next chapter. Until next time!**

**Leave a comment!**


	10. A party of fools

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, being a team of heroes is not all that it's supposed to be. Sometimes, trust needs to be given, and other times, trust needs to be taken.

**Weiss enjoyed herself, even if most of her lewd ideas are from the type of trashy romance novel and porn genre. Allow the girl to have her fun, alright?**

* * *

He walked back to Atlas Academy, getting the elevator this time, and watching as it opened up a few floors down. His weapon was still sheathed on his back, still well-functional, as Winter stepped into the elevator. The shopping bag with the new coat in it had been a gift from Casey, in order to carry things to Atlas better. There weren’t any pockets on his armour, so it was sadly the case.

He could feel his breath freeze, as she froze, looking at him. He realized that he’d not pulled the helmet off, and as he did, her legs trembled. Her lips moved into words that might never be uttered, a ‘grandfather’ coming not from her mouth audibly as she spoke the words to herself without voice, pulling the helmet off his head.

He looked into her blue eyes, different from her sister, the one who he’d slept with earlier today.

“Hello, Winter.”

She didn’t enter the elevator, even as she stared at him in a dazed state, before she snapped to attention and got in. She smelled as she always smelled, and there was that brief look in her eyes of pain, her expression shifting somewhat to the mournful one that was like a formality.

“Mother gave you grandfather’s armour. _Why_? Why would she…”

It was a curt question, but she trembled and quivered. Her eyes looked at him with questions, as she breathed in and out, not pressing the button for her floor yet. For the floor that he should be at as well, he knew. This was the Research and Development Wing of Atlas Academy, where the military was also housed.

“Your brother and sister cannot wear it, and your mother cannot even lift the breastplate well… So she gave it to me, so that it’d be seeing use to protect something. I promised her that I’d protect you three. I don’t ab-“

Winter looked at his face for the longest moment and the tears came from her eyes, and the door closed, the elevator continuing in its upwards ascent. He hit the wall as she pushed him against it, her arms wrapping around his neck as she kissed him. Fire seemed to rush through his body as he was kissed, her lips pressed against him in a desperate need, as he felt the brush of that flame go through his extremities.

She was caressing him like a woman who needed to touch him and his Aura flowed through her body once more in a fiery pulse of emotion-inspired warmth and care, letting her languish in his kiss, the tongue pushing against his own, backing away suddenly as if she was frightened before she parted her lips to speak, her eyes looking at him and then pain flashed. Her breathing was heavier, was with that indeterminate moment where her conflicting desires and her reality crashed together.

“I- Ja-“

He was aware that her lipstick had smudged. He’d have a red smear on his lips from the kiss, but…

“Always. I’d rather die than to make your brother and sister and you sad.”

She _trembled._

She trembled and quivered, as words seemed to want to come out of her mouth but the hope in her had fled to speak. There was no stern dismissal, no wish for him to leave her alone, only doubt and fear. She looked down before she looked up at him, the dark eyebrows making a strange dance, and she exhaled slowly.

“What about _Weiss_? A-aren’t you?”

Tender words were spoken by an older sister.

Tender words that quivered with her own thoughts of yearning. He laid his gauntleted hand on her shoulder and stroked over it, the ping of the elevator as another floor had passed them by heard.

“I love you _more_. Dating her was fun, but with you… With you, it’s better. She’s a great girl. You’re a wonderful woman. You care for the General’s grandmother too, showing so much _love_ , Winter.”

He kept the façade up, knowing the truth that he hadn’t voiced aloud. He remembered the feeling of loss inside him, knowing that Cinder was out there. Winter looked away guiltily, knowing that what she was about to say would be a lie.

“We can’t be together, Jaune. I’m…”

His hand was on her and his warm Aura suffused her. He tilted her head back and kissed her. She didn’t resist, as the ping-ping-ping of the elevator ascending turned, and as the doors slid open, he pulled away.

“You’re the woman I like. Thank you for the wonderful time you’ve given me. Let’s go to your mother’s home together, just as friends. Just as _friends_ , Winter. It didn’t work out between the two of us, but I’ll cherish you as a friend forever.”

A _concession_ from him to her. It would make her feel better, would make her more at ease, and he’d hurt _less_. He was aware of how her face twisted, but it was what he could do. That kiss…

“O-okay.”

She was like Weiss. Lonely. Not as self-assured as she seemed to be. He walked out of the elevator together with her, Winter following after him. Her lips were a little messy with the makeup, he knew that he was showing a weird red stain on his lips, but care, he did not at this moment in time.

He reported back about the mission to General Ironwood, Winter standing there a few steps behind him as he did, the man’s attention to him, undoubtedly having noticed the smudge on his lips.

“I apologize for the sign. I… I kind of over-judged my strength and it bent. They gave me an earful about it, but at least the kids didn’t mind.”

The general gave a light shrug, uncaring about the small details. Accidents happened, and Jaune remembered that he should at least request a new one. A childminder had to look formal and yet gentle, and he liked the kids. Viri had been happy to help.

_‘For the children…’_

After he was dismissed he turned around, looking at Winter, giving her an encouraging smile and then walked past her, not showing more, but letting her know that he would keep his promise.

“The armour suits him, don’t you think so, Specialist Schnee?”

The General asked the question of Winter, who cleared her throat. He was out of the room after he heard her response, so the conversation continued without him being here, but he could hear it in her voice.

“He looks like my grandfather… And I _know_ that he will be a hero. If not for Atlas, then for Vale, or wherever he will go.”

_‘I’ll be the hero that you need…’_

He would be a hero, even if he had to do distasteful things. He checked his Scroll for a message. He saw one waiting message.

**The patient is recovering nicely. Thank you for bringing him in. Casey came by and gave him a personal thank-you.**

It hadn’t been easy to bring the man in, but that’s what a _hero_ did. A _hero_ made sure that those who were the weakest were kept safe.

_‘Those who cannot protect themselves will need a protector.’_

Willow’s face flashed before his mind, the feeling of his Aura healing the marks on her skin. He could feel the wound throb before he sealed it with his Aura, restoring Weiss back to fighting form.

Ashes and cruelty mixed together, as golden eyes and a soft hiss of flickering flames came to his mind.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

The words, those five words that she had spoken, a whisper from a girl that he had loved once. He loved Winter, and Willow was… pleasant. Weiss was a mystery, but he had given her what she craved.

He spotted Penny and smiled. The Scroll in his pocket was fished out and he held it out in his hand, a warmth settling inside him, mustering the confidence that he had.

“Hey Penny, I’ve got… I’ve got an embarrassing question to ask… Do you think you can unlock this Scroll for me? A friend of mine got himself locked out, and since you’ve got a father who’s smart and-“

The girl’s bright smile was eager and he’d felt a little bad about it at the time, but the small plug that he’d put in unlocked the Scroll immediately, the background visible immediately.

“It is no problem, Jaune! I’m happy to help. Simple code… Bit outdated, though. Are they from Mantle?”

He went to the settings and changed the password immediately, just in case it locked up again. He’d put it in his bag and he’d go out to deliver it tonight. It would work, he knew. Penny was a good friend to Ruby.

“Thanks a bunch. If you ever need something made, I mean… Do you eat cookies? There’s a few left, but I don’t know if-“

The guileless and honest smile made him feel his own smile broadening into something warmer, as he listened to her excited talk about how she was ‘not that capable yet, but hopefully soon!’, her frame upgraded with new emitters of those plasma beams that she had at her disposal.

“Have a great day, friend Jaune!”

He wished her a great day in return, before his face fell. Winter had…

_‘I won’t let you fall.’_

* * *

Weiss was nervous and a little skittish as she sat down in the circle that’d formed, her team leader’s eyes on her. Ruby was still a little mad about the cloak and her uniform needing to be washed, but it had been _hot_.

“Soo… You had a good time, Weiss?”

It was her team leader that spoke up first, and she remembered Winter and her own conversation at an earlier point in the day. Winter had been morose but supportive, as she’d talked about how things had been going during the sex.

_‘I’m not feeling bad… I’m not feeling bad, I’m not feeling bad…’_

Her sister and Jaune would go well together. She had experienced the joy of sex, and… and it wasn’t _bad_. No, it was _great_. She wanted more, but the face that her sister had made when she’d told about the accidental slip…

_‘You really love him. You fell in love with Jaune Arc, just like I did.’_

She knew her sister well. Winter hadn’t really dated when she was younger, and she’d always been focused on things for Atlas, for the military. She herself at Beacon at least had Neptune and his fanciful foreign-ness to distract herself from the boys and Beacon, but… But Jaune was special now.

“It was… nice.”

Blake looked at her with a knowing look, and she knew that she should watch what she was saying.

“I’d imagine that having painted our shower stall white with his seed was at least ‘nice’, Weiss.”

She flushed red at the comment. It wasn’t her fault that he’d given her a bit too much! Next time, she’d make sure that the shower curtain was closed and that she’d aim him properly.

_‘Next time…’_

She’d need to get _help_ , next time. Next time would need backup, and her sister might already be the Maiden at that point in time. It would be something that would…

“It was-“

Yang looked terribly uncomfortable with the subject, which actually surprised Weiss a little. Yang, who always seemed to be the boldest, was being shy, her gaze skittish.

“Did he… Was he _careful_?”

She blinked at the question, Yang looking at her for a moment. Was Jaune careful?

Yes. _Very_ careful.

She nodded awkwardly, Yang giving a little smile.

“A-and, d-did you k-kiss whilst… the sex?”

Ruby looked a little shy yet intrigued as well, her eyes going everywhere but at her, Blake looking the most at ease. Weiss nodded, giving a little smile. Those had been great kisses, when he'd just pushed himself into her and- well... she could answer it.

“We did. And… And when we did some of the plays, he was always asking ‘Are you alright? Does this feel good?’ and… And-“

She blushed. It was more than she’d expected. He’d scrawled horribly lewd little things on her, at her own urgings. Graffiti that would make her mother and father blush, and she’d been… she’d been treated like a common hooker at the mines. It was… _freeing_. No responsibilities, no need to keep up decorum, just… _Weiss._

“Damn, he’s a keeper. So, are you two dating?”

The question took her by surprise, and she realized that she hadn’t told them about her little slip-up. They’d probably _not_ be dating, but… but it was probably time to ask Ruby whether she’d like to bake a casserole together with her for Jaune.

It would be _polite_ to share.

“No, we… I-“

She looked away, feeling the guilt rise up again. Winter had cried, they’d had their chat and Winter had said that the Winter Maiden would pass in a few days. Father would hold the power of a Councilmember of Atlas in a week’s time, and… And everything was so complicated.

“So he’s still free… Damn, I bet Nora’s going to move in. Didn’t you hear her cry on the toilet?”

Yang, seemingly more perceptive than she’d been, said, and Weiss felt a shiver go through her. Nora Valkyrie knew more about Jaune than she’d probably learn within a year of them dating, knowing his habits for longer.

That Ren and Nora had split up was a fact. They worked together still, but there was a distance between the two of them that was noticeable. Nora no longer looked at Ren as longingly as before, and Ren was the type who obeyed the orders that he was given. Only when Jaune was around, did those two seem to perk up, showing just how much he meant to the two of them.

“If she does… Well, I’m going to do my best. He’s _not_ going to be alone if I am here to care for him. Mother gave him grandfather’s armour and looks better now that he’s been there to bring me home, and I will _not_ let the man I like be alone.”

She was strict on that. Grandfather’s expeditions hadn’t ever been without danger, but the man would enter the mine without any sort of hesitation if a Grimm ever invaded it, to save as many people as he could. He had been a hero, according to her older sister.

_‘And our hero is depressed because your duty interferes with your love…’_

She didn’t like this. Winter should smile, she should be happier now… But she _wasn’t._

“Bold words, Weissey… It seems that sex has awoken the beast in you, huh?”

Yang teased a little, trying to get herself comfortable with the idea of sex now. Weiss frowned a little at that, before she got a teasing smile on her lips, set up just with the right angle to impress upon Yang that it was serious business.

“How about you stop holding hands and have a little one on one session with Blake in front of us, huh? You’re the only one who hasn’t had sex yet, Yang.”

Yang turned red in the face, looking at her younger sister with betrayed eyes.

“You’ve had s-se-sex?! How? When?!”

Ruby pouted a little at the thought, shaking her head. Yang looked aghast, as if the world was ripped away from under her.

“It was earlier this week. Weiss was so gentle, she loves me so much.”

You could fit a fist into Yang’s mouth with how wide it went she did a loud ‘ehhhh!?’, her eyes looking surprised at Ruby, before they switched to her.

“She was… very pleasant, indeed. I _prefer_ men, but Ruby is a good partner and _best_ friend.”

She wasn’t having weird fantasies about pinning down Ruby and letting Jaune do them both, of course. That would be awkward, of course.

"Aww, you called me your best friend! You're my bestie too, Weiss!"

She’d be the one pinned down as her team leader and her best friend took revenge on her for getting Ruby’s uniform dirty. All those creampies…

_‘Ah… I’m a dirty girl…’_

“But- But- But? _Blake_?”

Blake gave her girlfriend a look, blinking once, not quite understanding the question from her girlfriend it seemed.

“What? I’ve had sex before.”

Yang looked really crestfallen, as a knock on the door came and Ruby got up, clearing her throat.

“Team meeting suspended! We’ll grill you later on how you got our clothing dirty, Weiss!”

_‘Yours was the only thing that fit…’_

She was a petite girl, after all. Weiss did not have the massive mammaries that Yang did, or the behind that Blake had been blessed with.

“Hey guys? Do you think we can talk after we’ve had dinner? Team meeting, kay? I want to know what we can do about the situation. Get our actions lined up, a plan made.”

Weiss smiled as she heard Jaune speak, seeing him stand there like a gallant knight in need of a very quick little fuck in the bathroom to get those big balls emptied inside his little princess-girlfriend…

_‘Down. You are a Schnee, elegant and refined! Your mother has taught you how to behave.’_

“Jaune, thank you for last night. It was wonderful.”

She pushed her bestie out of the way and brushed a hand over the breastplate of the armour, looking into his eyes. She was getting needier now, imagining how it’d feel to let them see her. She wasn’t hugely into exhibitionism, but the thought of them _watching,_ of seeing how Weiss Schnee wasn’t the dainty little princess that…

_‘I may have a bit of a problem…’_

“I’m glad I helped a little. You’re… Thank you. When I broke down, I wasn’t… I’m _sorry_.”

He looked so sad at that moment that she almost kissed him again. She wasn’t going to let him be sad, as she grabbed Ruby’s shoulders.

“We’ll go on a date again in a few days time, okay? Ruby will join us.”

Ruby squeaked a little, turning redder in the face than before, but it’d be okay…

_‘I should order that toy…’_

She was a naughty girl with a hot boy and a nice partner who liked her. She should have that school uniform of Atlas Academy somewhere… Or she could just request one. She was at the place, after all. Little Atlesian girl lost in Beacon Academy and being dragged into the bed by a horny upperclassman and his girlfriend, emerging a sweaty mess…

_‘Oh yes…’_

“Y-yes!”

Ruby sounded eager. She’d place the order later tonight, after that meeting. She wondered whether he’d find the time. She’d… she’d not like to wait until the next few days. Perhaps a question, if he was a little more… open to things?

“Yeah, we’ll see. Team meeting after we’ve had some food in us, okay?”

There was going to be some time for them afterwards. She should perhaps wear something a little more scanty than before, something that’d fit really well when stuffed into her mouth to silence her as he ravished her in a brief instant of swollen lust.

_‘Hmmm.’_

* * *

They sat in her team’s dorm. Team RWBY on one side, team JNR on the other, with Oscar on their side. Weiss could see the distance between Ren and Nora, the way that they angled themselves away by their own conscious effort, Jaune in-between.

“And I now call the first meeting of team RWBY and JNR to order! So… What’s the plan, Jaune? Did you find something out?”

Jaune looked seriously charming in his new armour. He hadn’t pulled it off yet, but he the good graces not to wear the cloak to this meeting. It would’ve made him look more distinguished, she knew that well, but Ruby was kind of the one who was cloaked most of the time. Jaune Arc was a hottie, and she knew that he was the one that she’d like to feel inside her again.

“We need to discuss what we’re doing, Ruby. If we keep secrets from each other, then we’re no better than Salem.”

Weiss supposed that it was fair, and she smiled. Blake and Yang fidgeted a little, as Ruby accepted with a smile. Weiss wondered whether he would be more eloquent than before, with less whining than when they’d been at Beacon Academy. Not that she _minded_. After _those_ orgasms, he could have the most nasal of voices. She’d gotten _laid_.

“Okidoki… So, eh… Does anyone have a plan about what we’ll do next? Missions have been kind of hard, haven’t they?”

Jaune didn’t like to hear that, she could see it in his eyes. He crossed his arms, that masculine look on his face looking better with his short hair as he watched Ruby.

“What are we doing about the Relic?”

He asked a pertinent question, Ruby giving a bright and chipper smile as she thought about it.

“Well, we’ve got it here, Oscar will keep it safe, right?”

A small ‘of course’ came from the young farmboy as Jaune’s eyes looked at her with the doubt in them, his eyes shrouded in that faint hint of brooding.

“And what about Mantle? What if Cinder attacks Mantle? Does anyone have a plan for when she does? I’m just asking, I’ve got something in mind, but- But I want _your_ thoughts first.”

Blake opened her mouth to speak. Weiss watched her friend and teammate, and Jaune looked at her with that questioning look that meant that he was regarding her and wondering what she was going to say.

“I’ve spoken to Robyn Hill, back when we were out trying to make sure that she didn’t take too many of the transports down. She might be willing to help out with securing Mantle.”

His expression changed minutely, but that was only because she was watching him intently, his eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.

“ _Why_ did you speak to her? How did you even have the time, if you were defending a transport?”

_‘Yeah, why were you speaking to that woman? Why didn’t you tell us?’_

Blake crossed her arms, Yang looking a little worriedly at her friend and probably girlfriend, as Jaune’s tone turned accusing, looking at her with distrust in his eyes. She was annoyed too, but he was asking a pertinent question.

“You never know what help you can get from the oppressed, suffering under the cruel yoke of those in power. I’m sure that _you_ wouldn’t understand the feeling of being pushed down all the time for what you are.”

Jaune’s expression didn’t really change much in that sceptical expression, as he leaned forward, his face looking a little doubtful.

“Okay, but what does that have to do with answering my question? She might’ve been a candidate up for election, but-“

Blake got up out of her seat in a flash. Jaune remained seated, but Blake pointed a finger at him.

“She wishes to do good things for Mantle! She has a Semblance that can tell whether you’re telling the truth or not, so I trusted her and told her about the Amity project. Sometimes, if you trust those who are fighting for what is right, you will-“

_‘Ah.’_

The wild and naked anger on his face as he rose, and Blake’s gaze went up, his mailed hand grabbing her throat and raising her up. Blake’s legs kicked against his armoured form, the man in the armour not letting go of her as he brought her face close to his, snarling lividly at her. Blake's heels kicked at him as he held her, whilst they stared and the wrath in his expression made her cower.

“YOU TOLD _THAT_ WOMAN ABOUT THAT? ARE YOU _INSANE_?!"

His teammates shifted, muscles tensing, ready to interfere if things got violent. It was something Weiss noticed, as the man she liked's voice turned angrier.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR _MIND_ , YOU SICK FAUNUS BITCH?!”

Spit hit Blake in the face as the cat ears flattened on her face, Jaune’s grip pressing against the Faunus girl’s throat, Weiss up from her seat after she'd gathered herself, as was Yang.

“Jaune! Calm down, she didn’t mean anything with it! I was there with her, we _both_ did it!”

Blake was struggling against the hand, as he didn’t look away from her. Jaune ignored Yang, looking at Blake's face with eyes that were full of emotion.

“Beacon _fell_ because of YOU and _your_ fucking people, Blake. Your whole ‘White Fang’ maniac band of Faunus murderers just went out and MURDERED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE! _THOUSANDS_ , BLAKE! And you know what the best thing is, Blake fucking Belladonna? Pyrrha _died_ because of Cinder Fall and _her_ White Fang flunkies. All because of _you_. You couldn't just leave that mad crusade for 'Faunus rights' alone, could you?”

His anger was visible on his face as Yang grabbed a hold of him, trying to wrench her girlfriend free. Weiss could use a Glyph, but there was nothing that could stop Jaune without impacting the others.

“She was innocent of that! She had nothing to do with the White Fang, and Adam was-“

Yang shouted, and Jaune’s eyes turned to her. Yang actually flinched back, the blue eyes looking angry and tired.

"SHE HAS _EVERYTHING_ TO DO WITH THE WHITE FANG, YANG! _HER_ FATHER CREATED THE ORGANISATION AND SHE WAS A PROUD MEMBER!"

His breathing was heavy, as his grip on Blake's throat increased, the gauntlets holding her tightly, as his voice calmed somewhat, speaking in a harsh tone.

“Adam chased the two of you down, simply because this little _pussycat_ couldn’t keep her mouth fucking open for FIVE FUCKING SECONDS and tell all of us about what it’s like to fight with him. _Information_ , Blake Belladonna, about his fucking semblance would’ve been _nice._ Do you think this is _funny? Do you?_ How many of us need to _die_ before Blake Belladonna gets it in her fucking skull that not everything revolves around the people who are oppressed?”

Blake was starting to turn purple in the face as his grip dug into her neck. The armoured gauntlets were hard to pry from a neck, she could guess. She didn’t get closer, looking at her team leader, Ruby looking scared and indecisive between the two of them.

“You handed out information to a _known_ political opponent of Ironwood, simply because ‘Blake fucking Belladonna, Faunus terrorist supreme’ wants to see her girlfriend Yang lose _another_ arm. ‘Oh no, I’m so sorry for dodging every damn fucking consequence Yang, even thought they cut off your arm! They can replace it!’, and I don’t want to see my friend like that!”

He was angry, raging and furious. Not like in the fantasies she had, but genuinely angry and frustrated with Blake’s words.

“Yang, we may not be close, but the last time that your girlfriend came to show up at Haven, Weiss nearly died because Cinder Fall threw a spear through her gut! Haven nearly got blown up because of the White Fang and that maniac’s desire to see all of us humans _dead_!”

He threw Blake against the wall, breathing heavily and looking at her with a terrible anger on his face. Yang went to her girlfriend, and gave him a look of anger.

“That was uncalled for! She didn’t do anything wrong! She cut off all ties with the White Fang and she’ll be there for me! She said she _would!”_

His eyes were angry, as he looked at Blake and Yang, eyes almost glowing with that anger. It was scary and slightly arousing to see that anger be focused on Yang and Blake.

“With Blake, _words_ and _actions_ mean _different_ things, Yang. What would you do if Robyn Hill nabs Weiss and has her sent to the mines to be the toy for some White Fang faction that’ll help her support Mantle, huh? Nothing. We'd get Weiss back _used_ , traumatized, because they fucking _hate_ her father. She's a small girl and they would _ruin_ her!”

Her name made her shudder, as she saw the rage in his eyes, as he stepped closer to them. Blake actually cowered, as Yang gave a stern look at him, telling him to back away, or… well, what? He was fully armoured, and Weiss remembered how a robot had hit him and he hadn’t even flinched. Nora might’ve become a pancake if he hadn’t been there.

“Things will be okay! We’re Huntsmen now, aren’t we?”

Weiss winced a little. Yang was trying her best to come up with an argument, but she didn’t defend Blake, as he advanced on the two of them. Blake looked angrily at him, as if it was his fault that she was being oppressed.

“When her ‘Robyn Hill’ betrays her and Ruby is knocked out and has her eyes carved out by Cinder, will a ‘sorry, Ruby’ suffice, Yang? Will it be _okay_ to be seeing Ruby _sacrificed_ when Salem comes and offers freedom for Mantle on the simple bargain of _one_ little silver-eyed girl and a glowing lamp? You can’t _trust_ them. You don’t even fucking _know_ them! I bet I know more about the Happy Huntresses than you do, since you all don’t even _work_ with the people of Mantle! For all we know, they could be Cinder's girlfriends!”

He turned around and walked towards the door, shaking his head in disgust.

“I’m _leaving_. If this is all that we’re planning, then I’m going to go out to Mantle to get my mind off things. _Fuck_! _FUCK_!”

Nora and Ren hadn’t said a word, but they got up too. Jaune’s hand hit the wall and he pushed the door open and then closed it with some force. The section of the wall slowly crumbled, the part where he'd hit having been crushed by the force.

"Jaune!"

Ruby shouted, but his two teammates watched, getting ready to leave.

"Guys, don't leave! We should plan, let Jaune cool off a little! He'll be back, I know it, he can't stay mad for long!"

Nora's eyes blazed, as she spoke up for them, Ren brushing his hand over his clothing.

“Seriously, _not_ cool. We’re going after him, to make sure that he is alright, like actual _teammates_. At least we _trust_ each other and tell each other _everything_ , even if it takes a bit of time for it to be spoken of.”

Nora’s voice was angry and Ren merely regarded them with a look as they left, leaving Weiss feeling a little awkward, as Blake struggled to breathe properly again. It was odd, but Weiss had the feeling that they’d lost something precious and valuable, as she looked at Blake with a questioning look.

“Her semblance can tell if someone’s telling the truth. I was _right_ in telling the truth to her, she’d have never agreed-“

_‘But do you really know her?’_

Weiss didn’t think so. Robyn Hill’s actions had always skirted the boundary of what was legal and what wasn’t. Jaune… was _right_. They shouldn’t trust someone who said that they had good intentions blindly.

“Blake… I’m sorry, he shouldn’t have said that, and-“

Blake got up again, rubbing her throat. Oscar looked awkward, out of place.

“No, it’s… I’ll talk to her tomorrow, if I can. She’s a good woman, she wants to help the people of Mantle.”

_‘Good intentions…’_

Weiss really wished that she could believe it, as Yang grabbed her weapons, the bracelet fitting around her wrist as the arm shifted into the ready mode.

“I’ll go and see whether I can knock some sense in his noggin. He went too far!”

Ruby tried her best to stop her sister, but there was little to do about that, Blake looking like she was going to go off on her own again, as Yang thundered through the door, intent on finding Jaune.

_‘He’s right, though…’_

He was too right that she couldn’t disagree with him. She was surprised that Blake had leaked the secret, and it was something that didn’t make her feel much more comfortable around the Faunus. It was wrong to immediately assume, but…

_‘Adam came after Blake and Yang and Blake fought him off and…’_

She wasn’t sure what’d happened, neither had really wanted to talk about it, but she’d heard Yang gasp during the night, had seen the blonde get up and rub at her head, mumbling something about it not being her fault, having had to kill him.

_‘And…’_

She wasn’t racist. She wasn’t racist in the slightest, but Blake was too _naïve_. The White Fang had given her a wonderful twelfth birthday present. A man of father’s company’s board of directors, strung up from one of the Schnee emblems outside of the mansion. They hadn’t been kind, having tortured him with all sorts of things, but she remembered it. A grisly bloodied body, with SDC written in the snow using the man's entrails.

_‘Is he really wrong? Robyn Hill says that everything she does it for Mantle…’_

It was doubt and division that she felt, as Ruby tried to calm down Blake, who said that it was ‘just fine, he was angry…’

_‘I’m sorry Blake, but…’_

He was _right_. They’d lied to Ironwood, and now they’d have to tell the truth to someone who had no obligation to help them out?

She’d rather go and sing at another charity concert for her father’s whim, at least then you knew you were getting fucked over.

* * *

Anger flowed through him as he stomped towards the dorm room. Blake was being stupid! She didn’t see the dangers, just because little Miss Faunus Princess, Princess of the White Fang with her father and mother still alive and loving her more than they should, thought that the oppressed people were the ones who fought for ‘Mantle’.

He’d heard more than a few things about the Happy Huntresses due to his connections with several of the mothers that he knew. They were the fighters that fought for Mantle, but they did not do everything legally. Robyn Hill was a tricky character especially. The fact that her Semblance would allow someone to see whether they were lying or not was something that immediately rang alarm bells. Someone honest would not need a Semblance like that…

_‘And she just accepts it, like it’s nothing! Like Yang doesn’t miss an arm, like Weiss didn’t nearly die, all because of Cinder Fall and her ex-boyfriend or whatever!’_

He worried that they’d wake up to see golden eyes and smell the ashes, to see Ruby half-devastated, before that _woman_ would torture her, just for some _sick_ kicks. Ironwood couldn’t stop Cinder, Winter would _die_ , and Ruby? Ruby would lose her eyes, even if the sick fuck known as Tyrian Callows wasn’t around.

He looked at the Scroll and then checked the messages. He’d had a good idea, and he was _glad_ that he’d taken it. He grabbed the sword that belonged to his family, aware of the weight that it had. He had to be-

“Jaune?”

Nora was talking, and he looked at her with questioning eyes, his hand on his sword. Ren was at the door, closing it, regarding him with stoic, pink eyes.

They were _his_ team.

They knew what was at stake.

“I’ll go down first, I’ll-“

Ren spoke up, his voice calm and peaceful, obviously because of his Semblance.

“We’re with you, Jaune.”

Nora nodded to confirm that as well.

“Yeah! Our cute boy needs not to go out in a huff alone!”

He threw the coat at Ren, looking at Ren’s rather loose attire. The glisten of the coat’s interior lining, including the straps and the pouch at the back were cleaned by the women, just right for Ren.

_‘You’ll look perfect in it, Ren.’_

“Get that on. It’ll make you look a little less conspicuous. It was a gift from the ladies after they’d cleaned it up a bit. You’ve got to look the part, act like a native.”

Nora’s eyes glinted with something dangerous, as they walked out of the dorm room. Oscar entered nearly an hour later, distressed somewhat by the happenings, going to bed and lying there restlessly.

Team JNR did not return until four hours later, Ren and Nora crawling into their separate beds, Jaune’s hands going to his cheek, where a bruise was already forming.

_‘So, she hit me in the face… Can’t say that I don’t deserve that…’_

He was going to have to put in some work to track down Robyn Hill.

_‘Nobody dies on my watch…’_

* * *

He woke up to the sight of Nora once again, her eyes looking at him with that sad expression. He was about to say something, but her lips pressed against his own. She got herself comfortable, raising herself up from her comfortable position. She pushed herself against his groin, and kissed him again, her hands supporting her.

“You were _angry_ last night, Jaune. You were _so_ angry.”

She sounded as if that was a sad thing. He tried to get up, aware that his alarm clock would be going off soon enough, as he looked at her. Ren had gone to bed and wouldn’t wake up until a while later, and Nora was tracing over his chest.

“I’m sorry, I’m…”

He was so angry. He was so angry that it hurt, with what he knew now. Blake had been a friend, but he didn’t know if he could call her a friend anymore.

“No, _don’t_. You’re _right_ , Jaune. Ruby doesn’t want to hurt people, but you are _right_ to doubt. She’s not our leader, _you_ are.”

She was careful in her touches, stroking over his skin with slow rubbing motions, leaving not a single hint untouched on his chest, her fingers touching, her eyes looking serious and dedicated.

“But… I just want to-“

She pinched his nipple, looking into his eyes.

“You _will_ , Jaune. You will do what you must, as our leader. That Ruby doesn’t have the guts to challenge her teammates for a bad call and not calling in that they’d met with a possible enemy is _her_ fault. You did everything you could. We did what we had to do, didn’t we?”

_‘Yeah, we did.’_

She held up a hand, tapping a middle finger against his nose.

“And we did it _well_. We’re _your_ team, Jaune. No matter what happens, we still _believe_ in you, you gods-damned silly boy.”

She turned around, and he caught sight of underwear, heart-themed underwear. The feeling of his underwear being shoved down and Nora giving a little ‘ahhhahahaha’ giggle, as he realized what she was going to do.

“Nora, I’m-“

Her groin lowered and his mouth was smothered, as he could feel Nora’s fingers playing with his flaccid shaft, her tongue sliding over it already, her nose brushing over it. He smelled the somewhat salty scent of her womanhood, a hand reaching down and then tugging her underwear to the side.

“Come on, big boy… Show Nora what she’s got in store for her when she breaks you in like a bucking Ursa, okay?”

She was with Ren! He couldn’t help but get hard, as her hands pinched the base of his shaft, and his own hands grabbed her hips. Pleasure walked down his glans as she let her fingers trace and tease over him.

“Nora?”

She was wet. Damp, wet, moist, softened and ready, whatever you wished to call it.

“Jaune?”

A pleading tone, and his tongue slid over her lips. She trembled, a deep girlish ‘ahhah?’ coming from her lips. His tongue pushed the Aura into her, and she lit up with his glow, as her fingers squeezed tighter, and she started to slowly jerk.

She was nothing like Weiss, nothing like Weiss at all. Where Weiss had been passion incarnate, desiring many odd things, Nora was slow and almost hesitant, as he hardened. Her right hand seized his balls and her left stroked the base, slowly giving stuttering jerks with her hand, as her breath tickled through his pubes.

His tongue flicked over the slit and Nora stiffened again. He stood erect before her, her fingers slowly rubbing over his testicles, a low groan coming from her lips.

“You’re a regular beast, Jaune.”

He felt like one. A murderous beast, willing to protect what he loved. A man who wouldn’t stop until the evil bitch rested in her grave. Nora’s lips touched his cockhead and he felt like a jolt of electricity had gone through him, as his tongue slid into her depths.

Her head slammed down onto his balls as she took him into her mouth in one go, as low ‘mhmmmm’ sound coming from her, as her head raised with an ‘arghhllsshh’ sound, her lips pressing against the head.

“Damn it… ech, you’re a tricky bastard, Mister Arc. Eesh. I thought I was going to die there for a moment.”

His tongue wriggled inside her and she gave a little high-pitched ‘eeh!’ sound, as her groin rubbed against his face needily, a soft groan from her lips, kissing the head of his shaft. Her orange-reddish pubic hair brushed against his nose as she worked over his manhood with kisses, her hands squeezing and stroking, low gasps mingling with his own, her lips sliding along the side.

“Hmm… Close, Jaune. Come on… Just-“

She wasn’t someone who was restrained. He’d have to clean the bed up when she came, because it was leaking all over his face, her shudders ebbing away. She got up, her hands stroking over his cock, working with a pace, a wet stain on the bed.

“Damn… Just… Tricky.”

She was not speaking very coherently as she crudely jerked him off, her hands feeling small on his shaft, the meat jerking and spasming under her grip, heavy tugs with little ones alternating to pleasure him.

“Come on, Mister Arc… Show me what you have. Show Nora what the revolver in that pocket of yours can do.”

It wasn’t like Weiss hadn’t done something similar, but hearing the dirty talk that Nora did was just comical enough to make him laugh.

“Nora, it’s fine, I’m-“

He felt the dark thoughts again, reminded of what had to come in the next few days, the next week perhaps. Winter would be the Maiden, Cinder Fall would reap her powers for her own benefit.

A painful squeeze, as Nora’s face appeared close to his own and she kissed him.

“No, you’re _not_ looking like that, Jaune. No. It’s _not_ allowed. You can be happy, and-“

She was angry with him too. She was angry and he wasn’t-

She smacked him, her eyes looking into his own, tears coming from her eyes.

“You’re _our_ leader and what you say is our law, damn it. Ironwood, Mantle, Atlas, Ruby and her band of heroines… You’re _ours_. Being sad isn’t allowed. We’ve done some questionable things in order to stay safe, and I’ve done things that I’m not proud of, but you _know_ that we’ll have something to do. When we needed answers, you were there for us. By the _Gods_ , Jaune.”

She was crying, looking at him. He looked away, and she grabbed him by the hair.

“Listen to me. If we have to make Hill’s head into a pancake, then we’ll _do_ it. If she threatens what we are, then I’ll punt her off Atlas _myself_. You’re _not_ feeling sad, damn it. You’re the man _I_ , no, _we_ , love! Being sad isn’t allowed, or I swear to whatever’s listening that I’ll put a smile on your face. You’ve got our support, even if the little kitty stabs you in the back for being critical of her and her dream of _‘revolution’_.”

His expression firmed and he sighed, looking away from her, feeling guilt go through him. He was blessed with her, but he was convinced that she wouldn’t have to bear the burdens he’d bear, for the people.

“No, no little ‘but’. You protect what you love, Jaune. When you told me, I- I _blamed_ you, okay? It was just a moment, but- You _stupid_ boy. Stop making me love you more and more and live for _yourself_ , instead of people around you.”

He was probably going to die. He would die for them, and she was just trying to make him feel better.

“No. Don’t look like that. You’re- _Jaune_ , listen? You make us proud. You did something yesterday that I wouldn’t have thought possible. You stared her down and you said ‘I am not going to let this happen to my friends’. Jaune… Trust us, okay?”

He sighed, as his alarm started to blare. Nora’s eyes were sad, as he looked into her eyes for the longest of times.

“Good… Good luck. H-hey, you said that you w-wanted to bring Winter to her mother, right?”

She had kissed him. Nora’s eyes looked at him, her hands still on his head, her eyes looking into his own.

“Willow doesn’t deserve to not see her oldest daughter.”

A last visit, before the Maiden would be chosen, most likely. He didn’t know whether Winter would agree to it, but…

_‘Sometimes, we have to do things that we find distasteful…’_

He had a weapon to pick up from Mantle and a woman to meet.

The children were important, their mothers were important and if he got what he wanted…

* * *

“Cleaned it and made sure that it functioned for you, Jaune.”

It was good-looking. The golden accents on the metal cylinder looked fine, as the grip had been replaced with a dark wooden base, the cylinder spun around, unloaded of course. The man smiled as he held it up.

“Thanks so much for doing this for me. I’ve not had a ranged option, so having this is better than nothing.”

The man’s wife he knew from taking their children to school. The gunsmith had it as a side-business, selling Dust in the Schnee Dust Franchise store that he had, the barrel of the gun looking to be finely polished clean, the additional material that’d been leftover still allowing him.

“Added your twin arcs family crest on the barrel with some leftover gold dust, and it’ll be beating the Grimm much better than the sorry state it used to be in when you brought it in. Come on, give it a try.”

He loaded it up, the chamber filled with some of the practice bullets, taking aim at the holographic target and then firing, the Hard-Light dust shattering in one go. His arm rocked lightly from the recoil, but it was still manageable.

_‘Remember what Pyrrha told you… Aim.’_

The lesson had been something in-between training sessions, using her weapon as the base. It wasn’t a revolver like this one, but it was something that functioned similarly. Aim at a target, pull the trigger, fire a bullet.

“Now, relax a little. Take your time to line it up, then…”

The instruction was a little like what had been, and he hit the solid target with one of the bullets, the muted bang in his ears, his eyes watching the target, imagining how Cinder’s head would blow up. It was a weakness not to have a ranged weapon. Nora had her grenades and her strength, Ren had his machinegun pistols in his weapon, and he had nothing… until now.

“Good. You can practice for a while whilst I get you some stuff for the gun. Thanks for what you did for the family, Jaune. We… we _appreciate_ it. The world needs more good people like you.”

_‘I don’t feel like a good person at all.’_

He was craving vengeance, vengeance and pain and death for that woman. She was coming, she would be coming, she would take all that he cared for away again. She did it with Pyrrha, she tried to do it with Weiss. Winter was the next in line and he would not fail.

He was going to make her go to her mother and he would not fail.

He only left the gunsmith’s place when it’d gotten around twelve, aware that he should be meeting his next appointment.

“Good afternoon, how’s he doing?”

The smile on Nicta’s face was warm, as she opened the door to her clinic, walking with him and passing by several of the patients in the waiting room. Jaune looked at the door and pushed it open, hearing the creaking a little.

“A bit of trouble during the night, but the painkillers were a godsend. Thank you for bringing them in. Sorry for… you know. It’s not every time you- Well, Casey got done. That woman…”

It wasn’t a pleasant thing to do, he knew, but Nora and Ren had helped. Carrying the bag and then delivering it hadn’t been the hardest part, but the call had been unexpected.

Very unexpected.

“Anything for a friend, y’know? If you need help with things being finished, I’m here.”

The woman’s eyes darkened a little, as she turned her gaze away from him and took a few steps.

“No, we’ll be fine. You did _enough_. Casey might sleep with you though. She’s always been the one who’s more active. Did you get the gun?”

He held it up, the golden twin arcs on the barrel standing out, the revolver’s magazine changing with a flick of the thumb over it, the indication of which ammunition type was loaded etched into the magazine.

“It looks good. Wight does good work with his weapons.”

He smiled a little, aware of how it looked to the untrained eye, Nicta placing a hand on his wrist, her eyes looking at him.

“Heart arrhythmia isn’t usually lethal unless the subject is in an advanced age…”

His expression changed little, as his eyes looked at her, absorbing the information that the woman offered.

“That trick you did with your Aura, if you can replicate it, you could make her last a little longer. It regenerates the cells quicker, so… Put a new heart valve in there and well…”

_‘I know.’_

It was time to drag Winter to her mother, by hook or crook. If Ruby and her team weren’t with him…

_‘No matter what…’_

He pushed the revolver into the holster again, as he gave Nicta the warmest smile that he could muster.

“We’ll do it tomorrow after I bring the kids to school. I’ll see you in the morning, alright?”

Willow didn’t deserve to lose her child without an explanation. Sometimes, you had to force the hand of fate a little.

_‘Do you believe in Destiny?’_

* * *

He stood before the door leading to Winter’s apartment in Atlas Academy, knocking on the door once. The door opened quietly and she stood there, dressed as she always was. His armour was still on, the holster pushed to his side. She didn’t look at anything, only staring at him as he was there.

“Why are you _here_?”

She was concerned. She was scared. He could feel it in the air, as his hand grabbed hers and his Aura flooded hers. She shuddered with the heat wrapping around her, her tongue sliding over her lips as she exhaled slowly.

“Because I don’t want you to be sad, Winter. In the elevator-“

She looked at him and stepped aside, motioning for him to get into her room. She looked sullen, sad.

“I’m… It’s not going to _work_ , Jaune.”

It would. It would work. If he could help her out, he would…

“General Ironwood’s grandmother is the problem, isn’t it? I want to _help_ , Winter.”

She looked doubtful, as she heard the beep of her Scroll. He could see her statistics, and he laid a hand on her own.

“I saved your sister’s life… She would’ve been dead, and… And if I can help ease the burden…”

It was a weakness in her eyes, something more that made his decision even firmer. Her kiss to his lips was desperate and yearning, as she whimpered something under her breath, his arms wrapping around her, her body pressed against his armour as she whispered and whined.

_‘Grandma… Your advice to comfort women in need better come in handy…’_

The kiss was broken, as his tongue slid over his lips and he gently set her down on the bed.

“Winter, I’m... I’m sorry.”

Her eyes looked at him, as he began to feel the warmth go through his body from her, the pulling of his Aura working slowly, as he forced more into her. She’d feel her Aura pulse for a moment, mending every little ache that he could. If he was to fix this world… He’d make sure that she would be fixed.

“No, I’m… Weiss liked what you did. You should-“

He kissed her, impulsively. Whether it was still that fading hope that had been crushed before when he’d found out that she was the one chosen to become the Winter Maiden or that hopeless feeling that he’d felt before, he did what came to him.

She laid against the bed, his hands pinning hers against the bed, his deep blue eyes meeting hers, a tremor going through him.

“No. I’m not going to be foolish. I’m taking you to your mother tomorrow. General Ironwood will agree with me that you need to see your mother. I don’t like seeing you like this, Winter.”

He was going to be her hero, even if she didn’t want him to be. If she was doomed to be the Maiden… If destiny could not be averted, then Cinder Fall would reap her power, because that was what Cinder did.

“I’m… I’ve already said that I would go with you.”

She gave up resisting, as he looked down at her. A career woman, much like the Ace Ops, focused on defending her Kingdom from the threat of the Grimm and the cabal of people united under Ozma’s ex-wife. She didn’t feel so determined anymore, and a brittle look on her face showed that.

_‘You’re like your mother. A brave front, but scared. Afraid of the man you have to call father. Afraid of what awaits.’_

There was no time for hesitation.

“As my girlfriend.”

He would make sure that Winter Schnee saw her mother and that her mother would be happy. Her eyes darkened, and she looked at him with those pitiful eyes that he remembered from when she’d crashed.

“I can’t do that, Jaune. I’m still-“

She hesitated, looking at him. A small beep from her Scroll and he saw the vital feed flicker a little.

“Then…”

She trembled a little. He pushed his own warm Aura into hers. She stopped to tremble as he did so, a shiver going through her body again as she looked at him.

“No, I’m…”

His eyes looked into hers.

“Winter, I understand. Duty is heavy. There’s obviously something in the military code about fraternization.”

She looked conflicted, her head turning away, her hair loose now, as she turned her gaze back at him.

“General Ironwood needs me. I’m…”

The truth lurked behind those words. She wanted to finish the sentence. She was scared. She was terrified of what she could find if she was honest.

“You should be with _Weiss_ , Jaune. I cannot give you what you _want_.”

He wanted her _safe_.

“Then just… just come with me and Weiss. Let’s make it a nice meeting of the whole Schnee family that matters.”

She succumbed to the allure of being with her sister. Her sentimentality was the factor that he counted on, and it had worked.

_“Women are sentimental creatures, Jaune. No matter what you think they may think, they will choose emotion over reason… And don’t you dare to insinuate that I do not see reason, you little brat.”_

His grandmother’s voice had been carried to him, the saying coming to mind as he got up from the bed, looking at her, his eyes carrying the warmth he felt inside to her. Guinevere Arc had been a woman who had been brutal and merciless in the combat of the Great War. She had beat tactics into his father’s head without mercy. He’d not been a bad trainee either for the tactics that she'd put into him, with a new simulation game that she'd gifted to him for his tenth birthday, to 'make him into a bit more than a weak man who can only wear a dress and dance'.

_‘A last visit…’_

He’d make sure that Willow enjoyed it.

“It’d be… Nice. Whitley seems to be nicer now, it’d… it’d be good to talk before I’m…”

She was crying.

She was crying and didn’t even seem to notice it. Warmth blossomed inside his heart as he felt the sympathy inside him reach out.

_‘I’m going to make sure that Cinder never takes you, Winter.’_

“I care for you, Winter. We’ve only been on a few dates, but it was fun.”

He could see Winter’s eyes looking shrouded in that hollow emotion, that shell of guarded tension that suddenly sprang up around her, as she looked up at him.

“I’m… I’m really sorry.”

He left before she could answer, and he’d wrung out a visit from her.

Now it was time to brave the Nevermore’s den and see whether Weiss wanted to come to visit her mother too…

_‘I can’t help you anymore, Winter.’_

He had to let go. He had to let go of the things that he loved. Cinder Fall was the most important pawn on the chessboard right now. If he could take her out, it would be _over_. Winter would be safe, Ruby would be safe, Weiss would be safe…

His hand brushed over the metal in the small pocket, the look on his face darkening.

_‘Nobody will die. Nobody.’_

* * *

**Next time: Visiting Willow’s home! Weiss Schnee and her sister visit her mother with their gallant blonde knight!**

**Leave a comment if you'd like...**


	11. The family party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy tidings for Ren and Nora! Jaune and Nora and Ren go shopping for a moment in Mantle... and the Schneeblings reunite!

**Another chapter. Jaune was quite stressed last chapter.**

* * *

“Nora…”

He looked at his best friend and teammate’s partner, already dressed and ready to go as he stepped out of bed. Her eyes were deep blue, as his best friend was busy getting his boots on.

“We’re _with_ you, Jaune. Let them come for us… and let’s do that mission. Together, as a _team_.”

He walked into the bathroom, turning the knobs for the water to go on, aware that today he’d be at the Schnee mansion in the evening, together with Winter and Weiss. The latter hadn’t been informed yet, as he went for his bed immediately. He wasn’t going to be suffering a very angry team RWBY.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

The words bounced around in his skull once again, his eyes glancing into the mirror, reminding him of the sacrifice that Pyrrha had made. He was not going to let it happen again. He was not going to suffer again, knowing that Winter was dead because of Cinder Fall’s schemes.

“Thanks, guys.”

They looked at him with eyes filled with trust. They knew that he meant nothing but the best for them, the ring on Nora’s finger a new addition. The band was a black-gold colour and glistened a little.

_‘We’re all going to be working today…’_

The Winter Maiden didn’t have long to live. He knew that he would need to bring to bear every little fragment of skill that he could, to make things go according to plan.

“You can skip, if you want…”

Nora’s eyes firmed, looking into his own, as Ren’s face showed that obedience.

“No. We’re _not_ leaving you, Jaune.”

Ren’s voice was stern, as he looked at him, the bathroom crowded, Oscar still asleep. He let the water wash his face, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

“You’re our _leader._ You command us, and we’ll follow you until our death.”

He knew that. He knew that he was the leader, that he had failed with Pyrrha. He let the water wash down his body, not washing away the feeling of self-loathing and self-hatred that he felt. He had felt something for Winter, he’d felt something for Willow and he’d felt something for Weiss. Whitley was just a scared, hurt boy trying to connect to his family in the only way that he knew.

“I’m sorry, I… I shouldn’t have-“

Nora grabbed him by the arm and tugged him out of the shower, kissing him on the lips in a kiss. His eyes opened and met hers, anger in those eyes. She motioned to Ren, pulling away, and Ren kissed him, awkwardly.

“See? Now we’re all kissing you! Pyrrha went first, then me, then Ren. We’re ready to _fight_ for you, Jaune. We don’t _like_ seeing you like this! No matter _what_ she’ll say when we meet her, we’re _ready_ to go down _fighting_. Ruby and her team don’t know _shit_ about the world. If they come at you, then we’ll be _there_.”

Ren’s eyes glanced down as a stoic look on his face came once more. There was nothing but that look of placid acceptance.

“They are _naïve_. What Blake did went against every boundary of trust.”

She had betrayed them, for some _naïve_ ideal of cooperation with a _criminal_. A criminal woman who had been holding up transports and the preparations for the Amity Coliseum for the ‘people of Mantle’. He’d asked around about the Happy Huntresses before, and whilst there may be large amounts of public support for the woman, there were also many people who did not agree with the woman’s heavy-handed tactics.

_‘You would sell out Ruby and the rest if it meant that the Grimm wouldn’t touch mantle for a decade, Robyn…’_

She was as _guilty_ as the others. She was guilty, but it was not easy to track her down. The woman kept her own schedule, on the move always.

“I’ll be visiting the Schnee manor tonight with Winter and Weiss. Afterwards…”

_‘I’m sorry, Winter. I’m telling your mother if you don’t see her. No mother should lose a child she loves.’_

Winter would not be allowed to go from her home without saying goodbye to her mother if it was up to him. She wasn’t going to flinch away from serving her Kingdom and that was the problem.

“Let’s have a threesome when things are done, okay? I’ve always wanted to feel what it was like, and-“

Nora’s request made Ren look a little uncomfortable, Jaune noticed, as Nora’s hands started to squeeze a little on his muscles, massaging them.

“I need to finish my shower first and get dressed. The armour doesn’t wear itself, and I’d like to have something to protect the children with on.”

They nodded and left him, Nora and Ren talking quietly, Ren’s fingers brushing over Nora’s cheek, letting his partner and teammate give a soft sound in the back of her throat.

“Still mad at you, Ren. But… But it’s not bad. Just… _warn_ me next time, okay?”

A brush of guilt went through him. He washed his body, emerging from the shower to feel a towel wrap around him. They towelled him off, Nora’s swift ‘ARMS UP!’ making him raise his arms, Ren taking care of his upper body, Nora his lower. She didn’t stay in spaces that were sensitive, her eyes looking at him with that deliberate look of knowledge.

“We’re with you, Jaune. Nora told me about… About _things._ We’re sort of seeing where we can go to now with our relationship. We are _ready.”_

They emerged from their dorm room fully armoured and ready, their weapons in the holsters and the eyes looking as fierce as they could be. There was nothing but that desire to make the world a place where everyone could live, to be a hero and to know that those he cared for were safe.

He entered the briefing room, the General standing at his desk with Winter at his side, the woman midway in giving her report, the man’s eyes raising at the sight of the three members of the team that had originally had four standing there.

The image of the Winter Maiden on the screen was clicked away, the old woman looking like she was fading, the man’s smile a little less genuine, the stress that the man seemed to be under undoubtedly aiding in that.

“Ah, I had your mission already prepared for you, Mister Arc, but I haven’t-“

He smiled, looking at the man with the best smile he could muster on his face.

“Don’t worry, General. We’ve decided to do the mission together with the three of us. I want to show Ren how- well, they got back together, you see…”

He glanced at Nora, who smiled brightly at the general.

“Guess who’s going to have a party today? ME! We’re going to be buying stuff for the party too, so after Jauney shepherds the kids, we’ll be having a surprise announcement for team RWBY as well! Bread has been baked! That's how you say it in Atlas, right?”

 _‘A good distraction from the worries of the day for them._ ’

General Ironwood’s eyes lit up with happiness, as Nora’s smile broadened with exuberance.

“You’re pregnant? Congratulations to you and Mister Ren, Miss Valkyrie.”

Winter smiled softly, doing her best to suppress the emotions she felt inside her. She looked into his eyes, as he walked over to her, taking her hand. The gauntlet and her hand fit together, as he looked into hers, a smile.

“And, well… Do you think it’d be possible for Winter to be dismissed for the evening, so we can visit her mother? I- I know we’re just friends, but-“

Winter’s hand gripped his own and she smiled in that way that should be warm, the tenderness in her eyes and the heat of her body feeling like it was slipping away. He pulled a little on that familiar sensation, before his Aura lit her up with the warmth of his soul.

The General looked at him, his eyes tense. The Maiden issue was on his mind, but… Winter gripped his hand.

“I wish to see my mother, before my reassignment, General. It wouldn’t be… She has been _better_ than before.”

The man’s face relaxed, gauging the chances, calling up the screen with the statistics for the Winter Maiden’s health, staring at it for a moment before he reached a decision. The man’s face didn’t look much different, his fingers brushing through the beard.

“Permission granted, Specialist Schnee. Family is important, in times such as these. If you do happen to see your father, do give my regards to him for winning the election. The process will be done in three days.”

_‘Bullshit…’_

He sighed softly as the General made some small talk, the statistics once more pushed aside for a tactical overview of Atlas and Mantle’s defence grid.

“General… Your grandmother… Is she doing okay? “

The man shook his head. A grave look on his face, as he let his eyes slide to Winter for a moment.

“Unfortunately not, Mister Arc. She will be parting from us soon, I believe.”

He had to try to make that parting happen later, until he could track down Cinder Fall and kill her. It was the only way that he could.

“Sir, could you shake my hand?”

The man looked questioningly, but he held out a hand. The mechanical one, Jaune guessed. He pushed his Aura through it, the dead metal moving barely, as the glow shot through the man’s body. It was a coolness within him as he pushed his Aura through the metal into the flesh, the man’s own Aura lighting up as he infused it.

“That is… pleasant, I suppose? Is there any reason for this?”

He looked into the man’s eyes, as he breathed in and out, trying to steady himself. If it worked on Weiss, on Ren and on the train…

“I’m able to amplify the Aura of people around me. If I can help your grandmother…”

The man shook his head slowly, a sad expression on his face. Jaune felt his Aura slowly return to normal levels, regenerating quicker and quicker now, with the practice that he’d had.

“I’m afraid that all things must die, Mister Arc. She’s had a long life, suffering from dementia. Sometimes… Sometimes things happen.”

_‘I see.’_

He nodded, his face growing serious, shaking the man’s hand once. The man had his stance, and would not break from it. Jaune righted himself, coming to the conclusion that he’d already reached before.

_‘I guess…’_

“Indeed. My great-grandmother passed away when she was one hundred and six, she wasn’t fully there anymore…”

The man nodded, before he raised an eyebrow at the age that’d been provided. Jaune was sure that his grandmother might have given him a smack with her cane if she were present here for calling her old.

“Quite the venerable age, Mister Arc.”

He smiled softly, aware of that feat. His grandmother had been someone who’d been like a hero to him, aware of the world and it’s cruelties. The stories that were told always had to be analyzed for the moral behind it, and the woman had been cool, but warm in her own way.

“My great-grandmother fought at the battle of Verdant in the Great War, so it isn’t unusual for her to be tired of life. I hope that your mother will not suffer as she did. Gas scarring in the lungs is quite painful, according to grandmother. My sister Aurum always was the medic of the family, heh. I haven’t seen her since I left for Beacon, and- and things _happened_.”

His eyes were downcast, as the man nodded, before it was back to business as usual. He could see that Winter had a look of care on her face, something that he liked to see.

“General…”

There was a question in her voice, as if she wanted the man to think about the opportunity. Winter did not know Cinder Fall as he did. Winter did not know the dangers of the woman who hunted the Maidens.

“Your mission, Mister Arc, Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie. Do make sure that the children arrive safely… oh, and do not try to hit anymore lampposts by accident when entertaining the children, Mister Arc.”

The man’s smile showed that he found it amusing, but Jaune only gave a soft smile as he turned to Winter.

“I’ll see you later, Winter. Let’s make that visit to your mother great, okay?”

She hesitated for a moment, before her eyes changed and she nodded, firmly. Something like Weiss her boldness entered her, as she smiled at him, a warm and genuine smile, just like she’d had at the date that they’d gone on, the first one. They hadn’t dated more than three times, but the connection was there, that feeling and lingering sensation that came with that meeting.

“I expect you to act in a courteous manner, Mister Arc. My mother would not enjoy the sight of my sister and I being escorted by a brutish lout.”

He had a flashback to Weiss and her varying little kinks. There’d definitely been some squeaking, as she’d wanted to fuck. He hoped that she had enjoyed it, even if he had, somewhat.

“Your sister _might_?”

She certainly hadn’t been _against_ the ‘little Schnee princess’ and the ‘rough barbarian’ play. Winter’s eyebrow rose softly, as a humoured smile appeared on her face.

“I am _not_ my sister, Mister Arc. A knight is good enough for me.” 

A bit of humour, something that he’d missed from her during the separation. If she knew what he knew, she would be terrified of him. An unkillable witch, unable to be slain by anything… The failures that he’d had, the things he had not achieved yet.

_‘failure with a death wish’_

The smell of fire and ashes was stronger, as he let his eyes go over her. She looked a mess, her eyes heavy and tired, without the support that she seemed to have had before.

“Then your knight will protect you from danger, Princess Schnee.” 

He smiled and she smiled back at him. It was a weakness to admit such warm feelings for her, but he couldn’t stop himself from feeling the heat. He’d only been with a Schnee, sexually. He’d put his cock in her mom, he’d put it in her little sister, and he’d… he’d made _love_ to her.

“I look forward to it then.”

He smiled, knowing that which laid in store for her in the future, the fate and destiny that would rip her from his hands, which would tear her away from the world and leave her in danger of a madman’s gambit… of golden eyes and ashes, and laughter.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

The echo came again, and he let it bounce, as he remembered green eyes and red hair, the smell of something familiar, as a smile on her face lingered, Winter gone and in the place of it standing Pyrrha, looking at him like the failure that had been his since he’d been shoved into the locker.

The brief memory was gone, and Winter stood there once more, but it was…

_‘Let’s make your mother happy, okay?’_

There was a bottom line.

* * *

They descended down to Mantle in the shuttle, Nora’s hands on her hammer, Ren’s fingers thumbing lightly against the triggers of his own weapons, Jaune’s own weapon still sheathed on his back, the two looking at him, aware of the things they were going to be doing. He appreciated it, even if it was a dangerous gamble. Robyn Hill was a danger to Mantle, if she were to be left alone to her own devices…

But the children came _first_.

The children would come first, no matter what. He hoped that Viri hadn’t had any nightmares, and that there was time. Time was important, and the health of the Winter Maiden needed to hold out for a little bit longer, so he could track down Cinder Fall.

“Jaune! Jaune!”

They crowded around him, the cloak hung loosely on his shoulders, the helmet pulled off and his smile genuine again, as the children looked at him, their mothers smiling as well at the cuteness.

“I made you some cookies! Mom helped me make them!”

The gifts were nice, as he dispensed them to Nora and Ren. They had pockets, and he didn’t really have them. He smiled at Casey and Nicta, who shared a look.

“Thank you, Jaune.”

He smiled, as the heavy weight rested on him. Nora started to entertain the children with a story, one of the weird dreams she had at times, Ren standing there stoically, aware of everything. Jaune held the sign, this time with a wooden pole rather than a metal one, up and started to shepherd the children towards school.

“You’re our hero, Jaune!”

The children said that, but he didn’t feel like it. He smiled nevertheless, rubbing the head fondly of one of the children, sighing deeply as they walked into school. He felt Casey, and he knew that it was Casey by the smallness of her hand, touch his neck.

“Thanks, Jaune. Gods, I _wish_ you were available right now. I would fuck you so hard that your balls fell off. You can bake bread with me anytime. A hero needs a legacy.”

It wasn’t a joke, he guessed. She looked grateful and desiring of him, but he knew the path which laid ahead of him. He couldn’t take the offer, even if he’d wanted to. He wasn’t going to let Winter die to Cinder Fall.

“I’ve got to get to Nicta’s place, sorry. And- Well… I may not be around for a while. I’m sorry. Remember… Start at nine-thirty. Give Nora a call, if you have to. You've got her Scroll number.”

Casey nodded, looking at him with a look that understood. Being who she was and what he was, it was a difference of night and day, as she lightly punched his side, Ren’s twitch pulling his weapon out.

“Thank you, anyways. Will you be picking the kids up as well after visiting your friend?”

He nodded. It’d be fair to send them off. Everything was _fair_ when it came to hunting down animals that wanted to destroy this place.

“We’re his team. If Jaune doesn’t want to, we will. We’re going to be making sure that Mantle is _safe_. We’re Huntsmen, and we do what we _must_ for the people that need us.”

Nora’s voice was strict, and Jaune sighed, wrapping an arm around his teammates. They had to visit their friends, soon. Nicta’s eyes closed, taking a deep breath and looking at him, before she looked at the others.

“Let’s go for a drink after, okay? I think we need something stronger to deal with the loss of our boy toy Jaune, right Casey?”

He could understand that, as the ladies said their goodbyes, Nicta walking along, her eyes dark and conflicted, opening the clinic up for them.

“Don’t worry about the mess. I’ve got… Yeah, don’t worry. I’m a doctor.”

Jaune flicked the switch and light filled the treatment room, Nicta passing by him and grabbing something and then grabbing a hold, a bottle held up. Dark purple liquid sloshed aside in it, a label with ‘Blueberry juice’ on the front.

“Got this for you. Freshly squeezed from the fruit itself.”

He took the bottle and put it in the small bag that came with the armour, a protective casing that’d keep it safe and secure, as Jaune looked at his friends and nodded.

“Alright, time to get things done. Move the bed, Nora.”

He had someone to meet after this, after this was completed. He was firmly set on this.

Weiss and Winter would meet with their mother, even if he had to drag them to the woman's bedroom and lock them in with her.

* * *

Weiss Schnee wasn’t someone who easily voiced her opinion on private matters, but she did feel like she should address this. Yang was pacing around, looking like she wanted to punch something, Blake’s neck still a little red.

“No right at all to go off on you like that! You’ve been working for the people, and they just haven’t clued in, yet.”

Yang’s words were soothing, angry yet with that hint that things weren’t going to be resolved that quickly. Having seen Jaune be in such an angry rage called back unpleasant memories. Him at Haven, angrily charging at Cinder…

_‘We forgot that Blake didn’t see that…’_

What had Blake actually experienced? Weiss didn’t know. All she knew was that Blake had left around the time that the battle for Beacon was over, leaving Yang to recover from her injuries in solitude. Blake had gone back to Menagerie, and she’d brought the Faunus with her to Haven, in a terrorist plot that seemed to have been thought up by her ex-boyfriend.

_‘It’s not… wrong.’_

Jaune had hit some right points in his anger. She’d found herself not turning away from Blake, the comment about Robyn Hill striking truer than anything. Blake did not know Mantle as she did, as a Schnee did. The people within the lower city were a different sort than the Atlesian citizens that lived above them.

Blake didn’t get that. Blake would probably never get that, if she’d had any real grip on who Blake Belladonna was. Woman fighting for the rights of Mantle + her squad of Huntresses = good was not an equation that Weiss would _trust_.

She’d had… a _nightmare_. She didn’t like to talk about it, but she’d awoken terrified, imagining it still as she gasped, eyes flicking to the shadows in search of men with masks. She kept Blake in her view, seeing the lacking expression on Blake’s face, the lack of regret. Ruby didn’t look very happy either, and Weiss sighed, snapping her fingers to get her partner and team leader’s attention.

“Ruby, come, we’re going out for something to eat. I’m hungry.”

Yang looked at Blake, who had been silent for the majority of the time, leaving Yang to rage at the indignity of it all. Ruby joined her on the trip to the cafeteria, her eyes looking heavy and loaded.

“Do you think he’s right?”

It wasn’t a question that she expected her friend and team leader to ask. She stopped and thought for a moment, her eyes looking away, a few regular students standing there.

“With what?”

She watched them, uncaring about the world around them, about what might be happening. She wondered if she could have that ignorance ever again, but she’d never expected Jaune to be so explosive.

“Well… What he said about Blake. He said bad words, but… but…”

Her best friend looked away, her silver eyes looking at the ground.

“But it’s sort of true, isn’t it? He’s been… He’s been looking a lot like the time we went across Anima. Down. Depressed. _Sad_.”

Weiss had to admit that he had. He’d broken down the night before when she’d said her sister’s name. He was stressed, and she didn’t know how to fix it. Winter’s breaking up with him must’ve unsettled him.

“He’s…”

She sighed softly, pulling Ruby closer to her and peering deeply into the girl’s eyes.

“He’s not over my sister yet. I know Atlas, I know Mantle, and- And what he said, it was _true_. Robyn Hill fights for the people of Mantle, and- and we cannot discount the possibility. Blake was wrong, but Jaune wasn’t fully right either.”

Ruby looked sad, but she looked resolute. Weiss knew that look, and there definitely was something in the team leader’s presence that emboldened her to make the choice to-

“Weiss?”

She didn’t _jump_ , per se, but she was a little skittish and might have made a little hop as Jaune spoke up behind the two of them, Ruby giving a small eep. His face was set in that way that made Weiss feel sad.

“Is Blake in your room?”

She nodded, and she could see Nora and Ren holding up plenty of bags and packages, a banner with ‘Happy-‘ something being boldly emblazoned upon it. Weiss noticed the ring on Nora’s finger, glowing faintly with the Dust-weave lace, the holographic display of the engagement not activated yet, but…

_‘He offered to marry her?’_

“I’m not okay with you right now, mister.”

Ruby said, her voice light, tapping him against his breastplate, her grandfather’s armour continuing to shield him, his eyes looking into Ruby’s with a mournful look. He sighed, as he rubbed his scalp a little embarrassedly.

“I just… It’s happening _again_ , Ruby. Cinder is here, and Blake just leaked information to someone we don’t know. What if… What if Hill is working with Cinder? The White Fang worked with her, and- and…”

_‘I can understand that.’_

It was logical that you’d snap if you heard that. Pyrrha had pushed him into a rocket locker to make sure that he was safe, whilst she went after Cinder herself. It had been heroism and a desire to stop the one who had attacked Beacon, which she’d paid for with her life.

“Well… I’m- We can trust Blake. She’s come back to us.”

Jaune’s expression turned darker than before, his eyes peering at Ruby’s face for a lengthy period of time, before he turned away.

_‘You don’t believe that.’_

She could see it in his eyes, in the way that he stood, how his body language shifted. He turned away, his shoulders rolling once slowly to get them active again. Nora spoke up, her voice soft and questioning calmly.

“Can you really trust her not to talk to Hill? Would she obey you, or would she go off anyways, thinking that she knows what is _best_?”

_‘She would.’_

Blake had been impulsive, overzealous and working herself threadbare to get the White Fang. Weiss had seen how tired Blake had been during Beacon’s second semester, had seen how much the search for the organization had taken from her sleep.

“She’s still a member of my team! She wouldn’t do that without informing me…”

Ruby’s voice was pleading with her as the two words slipped out, doubtful.

“Would she?”

_‘She did. She already did that without consulting you.’_

Weiss nodded, Ruby’s face darkening. Jaune looked back at her and gave her a look, his eyes firm. He looked like someone who cared, someone who didn’t want his friends to suffer.

“She already _did_. I’ll… I’ll apologize for hurting her. I’m not- with Winter and-“

He looked confused. Lost, like he needed guidance. She didn’t have any sexual thoughts right now, she just wanted to see him smile again. His blue eyes looked so pained, so hurt and so alone and lost. Nora spoke up at his side.

“We’re going to have a party, Ruby! You four are all invited!”

Nora was her chipper self again, Weiss noticed. Ruby’s attention slid to Nora, as Jaune seemed to compose himself.

“What’s the occasion?”

Nora smiled, and held up her hand. A ring on her ring finger, and Weis couldn’t help but notice that it’d been given a fresh new coating of paint.

“Rennie gave me a ring! I’ve had some bread baked!”

Weiss smiled, as Ruby cooed. It was normal, she supposed. Normal enough that it made her smile.

“Sooo… Are you two together again?”

Nora looked at Ren and then smiled. It was a slow little feeling, as Nora shifted a large package in her hands, Ren catching it and smiling at his girlfriend.

“Yep!”

Weiss heaved a sigh of mental relief, knowing that it was now time to win herself a boyfriend. She was wondering if Ruby had an interest now, and she should definitely talk. The uniform had been a quick purchase. It was cheap too, and she’d feigned a little interest. Four copies in different sizes had been put there, just… just for the others. Who knew whether they’d like to play as well?

“I’ll best go and apologize…”

Weiss and Ruby followed, and Ruby opened the door, finding Blake and Yang holding hands, Blake looking up and frowning, as Yang got up immediately.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, coming back here!”

She reared her arm back and punched, Jaune’s body barely rocking as his Aura shielded him from the heaviest part of the blow, the red mark on his cheek enough to show for it, as he looked at her.

“I’d like to apologize. I shouldn’t have been… like that.”

Blake looked at him and nodded, seemingly forgiving him.

“You’re… you’re wrong on a lot of things. But… But you’re not fully wrong. I should’ve explained… Adam was-“

She looked doubtful, but her eyes gave a glare at him, as she gathered her strength.

“I’d never sell out Ruby! I’ve told her that we’re on her side, and that we can work together, for Mantle _and_ the world.”

Weiss saw Jaune’s face relax, as he smiled. He took a deep breath and then exhaled, rubbing his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, I’ve… I’ve been under a lot of stress. It’s clear to me now what must be done. Thank you for clearing that up, Blake.”

He bowed before Blake, his face with a small bitter smile on his lips, as he offered her.

“Hit me, as hard as you can. I deserve it for the words I've said, for the things I've done.”

Blake hit him and his face moved, slightly pushed back. She looked at him and Yang hit him in the face as well. Weiss didn’t agree with that, his head pulling back, his hand rubbing over the marks on his cheek, his nose angled awkwardly.

“Be nicer, dude. She’s still a member of Team RWBY.”

He gave a short and curt nod, his body wrapped in his Aura after he fixed his nose somewhat, the injuries fading nearly immediately. It was the same thing that he’d tried with her, his eyes not so happy.

“Yeah, I’m going to have to take one of you guys before the party. Nora said… well, I guess-“

He looked around for whoever was around, before he gave the biggest smile that she’d seen on his face.

“She’s so excited about the party. Do you think you can keep her entertained until after we’re back? Weiss?”

He turned to her, his expression serious. That look was one that made her knees tremble and the thoughts of doing horribly depraved things with him again.

“Your sister and I are going to your mother. I want you to join us, to have the family together again. _Please_ , Weiss…”

She nodded, without even thinking. If he was bringing her sister, and she could join…

Mother had been warmer. Mother hadn’t drank anymore, she’d been interested, kinder and showing the care that’d been so absent for a while.

“O-of course. I’d be honoured.”

He smiled at her with that bright smile, the genuineness of that smile showing that everything was right in the world again.

_‘I hope that I’ll keep seeing that smile.’_

“Nora’s pregnant, guys! Ren did it! Yay!”

Blake’s gasp and Yang’s ‘oh my god!’ was distracting, as she let her gaze follow Jaune, who walked out of their dorm room, Blake and Yang starting a small discussion about what they should be getting.

_‘I’m happy for the two of them.’_

* * *

He didn’t make more preparations, Nora’s eyes looking into his own as she handed it to him. It was simple, it was easy, and a click was all that it took.

“We’ll have fun with them, Jaune. Just… Just make sure that the Schnee family is happy, okay?”

She was already dressing herself in something a little more muted in colour, as Ren was busy putting up a few flags with ‘Happy Baby!’, stoically looking at the positioning. Oscar was off to gods-know-where, and that was good in Jaune’s opinion.

“The cake’s ready, the present is too… Remember, make it a good party, Nora.”

He was sure that Nora would do that, and he was perfectly comfortable with it, as Ren gave a soft cough to draw his attention.

“Good luck with the Schnee family.”

He knew that it would be tough, bringing Winter to her father’s house, but he was aware. The time was crucial, as he glanced at the clock. Nearly five. He had around six hours or so, but it would be done. It would all be done, eventually.

_‘The things we do to make people happy…’_

Winter would be happy to meet with her mother. Willow would be happy to meet her daughters and son at the same time. Weiss would be happier now with her brother and sister and mother. That was important.

He was just Jaune Arc, a young man who was lucky to be alive.

_‘You’re not going to lose any of your daughters to Cinder Fall, Willow.’_

He was aware of the threat that Cinder represented.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

Ren and Nora’s arms wrapped around him in a hug, as he straightened the armour out a little, the plate looking formal. It was the armour of Nicholas Schnee, a defender of the family. He would defend the Schnee family.

“I love you, guys.”

The feeling was mutual. Nora’s teasing, Nora’s little trick of yesterday was still in his mind, but they were a team and they would _not_ fail. If he ordered them to cut their throats, they’d ask ‘diagonally or vertically’ before they’d do it. He would do the same for them, because they were his team.

“We love you too, Jaune. Remember… We’ve got a threesome to do, Jaune. Nora wants herself some double-stuffing! Yeah, that big bad dick is going to scrape my pussy out like it’s nobody’s business!”

Ren looked at him and nodded. There was a seriousness in his eyes, even though he didn’t say a lot. A small smile played on his lips, before he did speak up.

“I’d need to prepare if he goes to sleep with me, Nora.”

Nora’s head turned around with excitement. Jaune felt a sinking sensation in his gut. That was more enthusiasm than he’d guessed Ren could muster.

“Yes! Boy love! Ooh, ooh, I can be in the front! We can have a little Jaune Ren Nora sandwich. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that you feel really good as you get turned into Jaune’s new woman.”

Jaune grimaced. He loved them, but he wasn’t quite sure whether he’d be up for doing that… yet. Ren was like the brother he’d never had, but to go that far…

_‘Well, I’ll have to see about getting through tonight.’_

Things were moving, as he pulled out the Scroll and flicked through his pictures. He looked at the happy faces of his sisters, Saphron’s own arm slung over Terra’s shoulder as they grabbed a hold of his arm, Adrian there as well. The last picture that he had of his family, the last one with Terra and Saphron and Adrian taken before they had left for Atlas.

_‘You’re fine, Saphron. I know you’re fine.’_

She was his sister, and he loved her. He’d heard that Argus had been kept safe and that civilian casualties had been low, with Saphron being safe. It was relief that she was still safe.

He pulled the cloak on, putting the pouch on the side of his hip, checking his reflection in the mirror. He looked stately, important. A knight, or perhaps a king, staring at his reflection. A hero, or perhaps someone who was on the opposing side.

Jaune walked down to team RWBY’s dorm, finding Weiss already there, wearing her typical Huntress getup. He offered her his arm and she took it, his expression warm and friendly, as he noticed Winter standing there, prim and properly dressed in her Specialist’s outfit.

_‘We’re all in function tonight, ladies…’_

He did what he _had_ to do.

* * *

She looked at him sitting there, looking at her older sister. It was a softness of his eyes, a hopeful wonderment in his eyes. She sat next to her sister, turning to the older woman and noticing the look on her face, a mournful one.

“It can’t be anything between us, Jaune. I’ve got my work, I’ve…”

She had started to speak, as the sad look turned to even greater sadness. He shifted a little, his plate-mailed gauntlet on his knee.

“W-Weiss would love to be your girlfriend, I…”

Her sister was lying. Her sister was lying, because Weiss would love to be the girlfriend, but… but that moment when he’d broken down.

“Winter… I want you happy. I want Weiss happy. Your mother, your little brother…”

He was so solid, so dependable, his words genuine as she heard him. The expression on his face didn’t even flinch as her older sister exhaled slowly.

“It’ll… It’ll never work out, Jaune. I’m working with the military, General Ironwood…”

Her sister wasn’t speaking formally. Her sister wasn’t even speaking coherently, as she looked at him, his hand laid on her knee. Her sister trembled again, as his hand rubbed over her knee softly.

“I think I love you, Winter. I love Weiss as well.”

Weiss her heartbeat shot up, aware that there was something in the words that brought sadness as well as joy. Winter’s eyes looked away, something in them changing a little, something more, as her hand laid on his gauntleted hand.

“We _can’t_ be together, Jaune. I’ll be _reassigned_ , and-“

He looked into her eyes with his own resolute eyes.

“Just tonight, Winter. Let me take you two to your mother. After tonight, I’ll… I’ll leave you alone. Your mother deserves a good evening, a _happy_ evening. I won’t ask for sex. I just want to _help you_.”

Weiss cleared her throat audibly, asking for attention thus.

“Sister, he’s… Surely you can _consider_ it? A-and-“

A blush on her cheeks, as she looked at her older sister.

“I-if you’d… If you’d let me join, I’ll- For _him_?”

She was offering a threesome. She was offering a threesome with her older sister and the man they both liked. Her older sister looked at her with a sharp look, before she shook her head sharply.

“No, I must… I must remain focused. The General’s grandmother must not… She’s in a critical state, and I’ve been tasked to observe, whilst the General prepares our strategy against the coming threats.”

It was code for the Winter Maiden, as Jaune gave a sound that was concerned.

“If you need help, I can… If I can help her live a little longer, I will-“

Her sister looked conflicted, the desire to try it warring with the orders that she’d been given. The polite smile on her face faded as the concern showed on her face.

_‘The worst thing that he can do is make her feel better…’_

She remembered the Aura that had been pumped into her, the burning spear searing her internal organs. She remembered and she touched the spot, the skin having healed up near-flawlessly after that’d happened. He’d saved her life. If it bought Winter a few more days of enjoying Jaune…

“He saved my life, Winter. If it makes the General feel a little bit less worried, he can plan a better strategy if Jaune gives her some of his Aura.”

Her sister was doubtful of the situation, she knew, but if it made her stick around longer, to not feel like the world was ending…

“I’ll… I’ll consider it. If it would help the General’s grandmother…”

Her sister checked her Scroll, the Winter Maiden’s status flickering by her.

“If I can help make your life better, I will.”

Winter smiled softly as Jaune said that. Weiss knew that her sister had been won over by her arguments, as she shifted a little, tapping her schedule and then adding something. A small bleep, and then she tucked it away again.

“I’ll see whether I can arrange for a visit, Mister Arc.”

He smiled at her sister. She turned to Weiss then, as she brushed a hand over her outfit.

“And… And I’ll consider that casserole, Weiss. I’ll… _consider_ , okay?”

Two little Schnee’s and the big brute giving their noble pussies a punishment. Weiss felt warm just by thinking of it. She felt excited as well, as she glanced at Jaune, whose expression was in that casual way of being a Huntsman, a protector of the weak. He didn’t change much, as his expression barely changed as he kept gazing at her.

Like a throbbing heat inside her, the thought of just slipping to the ground in front of him and showing her sister what she was missing out on. Her tongue slid over her lips at the thought. Neptune would never get her to do such crude things, but Jaune?

He’d _earned_ it.

They arrived at the house around five-thirty, the car stopping in front of the entrance, and they got out. He moved with a graceful tread in his armour, the sabatons clicking against the floor, the metal within them heavy, but comforting. Winter seemed to find comfort in him as she took his arm, and Weiss took his other arm. Two Schnee women, going towards home to show off their stud to their mother and little brother.

That she was already thinking about a long hard hot night afterwards, getting rutted like she was some depraved animal in need of that thick hard shaft ravishing her again, was not important. So what if she had a sex drive? Ruby or Winter, not that it mattered much, needed to back her up! She’d be exhausted to death if she let him just go wild!

_‘Oh, and wild you’d go. Hmm… That big hard cock just plunging into me, his arms holding me tightly as he pounded himself into me. Scandalous, so scandalous…’_

A brief memory of Nora and her party that waited for her at Atlas Academy. Her own swollen stomach and Winter’s swollen stomach, slowly bouncing on their new husband’s cock. Feeling him kiss her sister and erupt inside her. _Kinky_. She might just be ovulating today, which was sadly a side-effect of living with her team, but it was… hot.

Two little Schnee girls impregnated by the same man, feeling the next generation growing inside them.

_‘I’m a sick, sick girl. I’m a sick girl, and I’m thinking about it.’_

Surely, she could guide him to the bathroom, hitching her skirt up and then pulling her underwear down. He’d pull out, before…

_‘Or he wouldn’t. He'd just leave himself in, groaning in my ear that he's making me his woman.’_

Hands on her hips, jerking her close, feeling him cum inside her. Gasps and struggles, as he growled in her ear that she was his. She’d just have to suffer another hard fuck afterwards, ensuring that she got pregnant.

_‘I may just have some of the sickest fantasies…’_

“Are you okay?”

He asked, and she flushed red. She looked down, her sister’s eyes curious and a little more worried than before.

“W-well… Y-yes. I-I am fine. I was just… just thinking.”

Their mother appeared upstairs, slowly walking down the stairs with a graceful step, the suit she wore covering her perfectly, her steps slow and her eyes delicate, blue and radiant.

“Daughters… Let’s adjourn to the sitting room. It’s been a while, Mister Arc… Do you think you could find the kitchens to inform them that we’ll be taking dinner in the smaller dining room?”

Her mother was planning something, as she separated him from the two of them, Winter giving her mother a perfect little bow. Willow Schnee was a woman who did not stand on protocol amongst the family, Winter’s face showing seriousness, and Jaune moved past her.

“I… I’m _home_ , mother.”

Winter’s voice was hesitant, as her face was as calm as the ice-sheets on the frozen lakes in the park in Atlas, a small whisper coming from their mother’s lips, as the woman shed her decorum and hugged her oldest daughter.

_‘Didn’t she visit mother…’_

“You’re _home_ , Winter. You’re _home_ again.”

Her mother was crying, the weary look on the woman’s face making her heart feel a clenching sensation, the feeling tightening around her chest, as the woman’s arms hugged her oldest daughter, Weiss feeling a little left out, but hugging her mother as well.

“It… it _has_ , hasn’t it? Near-on eight years…”

_‘Has it really been that long?’_

Her mother wiped away the tears, as she kissed her daughter’s cheek softly, her hands brushing over the sides of the woman’s body, her eyes glinting with that hope within them of something that she couldn’t see yet.

“I love you, Winter. Jaune… Mister Arc has been telling me of you and your relationship with him, though… Though I am sure that things can be mended.”

They walked towards the sitting room, where Whitley had already been seated, his fingers brushing over the Scroll’s surface, busy with entering something into the touch-pad of the Scroll and looking up and shutting the Scroll down, laying it upon the table and getting up.

“Mother! Sisters!”

She smiled at her younger brother, one of the feelings of warmth entering her. She hugged him impulsively, feeling the need to do so, because her mother had hugged Winter as well. Whitley’s arms wrapped around her awkwardly, as if he wasn’t sure what to do.

Weiss knew that she should cherish the moments that she had, before Winter was to become the Winter Maiden. The Fall Maiden, Cinder, had been in Atlas, supposedly… so…

_‘I hope that we’ll find her, that Ironwood knows what to do.’_

“Have you been well, Weiss?”

Her little brother asked, as the door opened and Jaune entered, the armour clinking softly, as he joined them. Her mother looked at him for a moment before she smiled, starting to talk with him, as a good host should. Winter looked a little out of place, and she motioned for Winter to join them.

“I’ve been fine, thank you. Winter…”

Whitley turned to his older sister and Weiss made space for Winter. The hug that followed was awkward, Winter’s voice soft, as she spoke up after half a minute.

“I am happy to be here with you again, Whitley. It’s been… too long.”

The smile on her little brother’s face made Weiss feel warm.

“As long as we are here and father is not, we can have a modicum of peace. He’s… He’s _hit_ mother.”

Winter’s face showed pain, as her head turned away, her expression not visible, but the weight on her shoulders increasing some more.

“It’s… I will be permanently reassigned soon, Whitley. I cannot do a thing, but…”

_‘But you wish you could.’_

She’d have to take some action, father couldn’t be allowed to hit mother again. It might come to a divorce, even. That wasn’t usually done, but mother had been more alive since the last few weeks, since… since she’d started being a mom again.

“I love you. You’re still my big sister, so I’ll keep hope that you’ll come and visit again.”

Winter froze, as Whitley said that. Weiss caught the look on that face, that hope to see them again, hale and healthy, without the burden of their knowledge there to bother them. It was a pained shiver that went through Winter, as she overheard Jaune speak.

“-more, or something. What use does it have, even? Still, food will be ready in about half an hour.”

Her mother laughed softly, shaking her head.

“One might think that you _disagree_ with fine cuisine, Mister Arc. My daughters are certainly charming, are they not? Perhaps you’d like to wed my little Weiss? I am sure that I can loan you a cook or two.”

Weiss blushed, aware that the thoughts were heading to a place which was in a kitchen, her bent over the table, breasts rubbing against the flour-covered kitchen table, shivering and shaking as she was pounded like dough was kneaded.

“Mother… I will require a moment to freshen up for dinner. Can I be excused ten minutes before dinner starts?”

The polite question from Whitley made her smile, aware that her little brother was going to be on his best behaviour. The admission of love was something that warmed her heart. There could be joy in the family, even with the spectre of father looming over them.

“Of course, Whitley.”

They talked a little, Jaune standing in the corner like a silent sentinel, checking something on his Scroll. A serious look was on his face, as he thumbed through what seemed to be articles of something, watching something that was like a small clip of sorts, and then looking at a picture that she’d see half-way in a reflection.

_‘Him and Saphron.’_

It was sad. The picture had been taken, and he looked really sad right now. His sisters, except for Saphron, had all died and now, he was all alone. She should make it a nice evening, if they went to bed together. A nice, pleasant evening, and she’d do whatever he wanted to make him smile again.

“Weiss? We’ve got to go for dinner, it’ll be prepared for us.”

She smiled, walking up to Jaune and tugging his arm lightly. He looked up from his Scroll, the family portrait that stood there, showing several generations of Arcs. An old woman, tall and with a set of earrings that held the Arc crest, tied with a silver band and some of the most domineering blue eyes that she’d ever seen, stood behind a man who obviously was his father, her hand on his shoulder. The man was kind-looking, caring and loving, his wife smaller, but his children all tall and blonde, Jaune looking small and boyish, aged 10 or something like it.

_‘People die…’_

He smiled, or at least tried to, putting the Scroll back into his pocket. She looked at the portrait of her mother and her grandmother and grandfather, the artist’s impression having been well-made. A man of stature, of care and protectiveness…

“Let’s get something to eat.”

His stomach rumbled and he gave an embarrassed blush, as she wrapped her arm around him, her mother giving her a warm smile, Winter’s arm wrapping around his other arm. Whitley and mother went ahead, her mother speaking in soft tones to her little brother.

Dinner was uneventful. There was some conversation, Jaune struggled with the special seafood fork and her mother found it delightful to hear some of the stories that he told about the common people of Mantle. Her sister smiled as well, clearly amused by the way that he told the story about the baker who’d managed to require rescue from his own oven. It’d been a sudden shift and a door closing, and he’d been just in time to pull it open.

They walked to mother’s room again, Jaune taking some time, looking around a little unsteadily.

“Mind if I go to the bathroom? Whitley, do you want to show me where the bathroom is?”

_‘Heh, he’s got little lay of the mansion… Expected, of course.’_

Whitley didn’t wait for a moment, staying behind as they continued on, mother smiling softly at him.

“Such a silly boy… But this gives us some time to talk, just between us girls.”

Mother sat down on the sofa, Winter sitting down on her right and Weiss herself on her left. Their mother’s smile was warmer than she’d been, as she let her gaze go through the room.

“Winter, Weiss…”

Their mother’s hand grabbed their hand and then held them. Her mother’s fingers were warm, strong and soft. The warm smile on her face, the way that their mother looked at each of them with that maternal gaze that she'd remembered from when she had been young just reminding her of how good it had been when mother had still _cared_.

“I’m _expecting.”_

_‘Expecting what?’_

Winter held a similar look of incomprehension, as her mother’s face showed anticipation, falling when they didn’t respond swiftly.

“If this is about some pet that you bought, mother…”

Winter started, and their mother gave a grimace, clearly realizing that she might’ve phrased it badly.

“Perhaps I should… be a bit more _clear_. I have…. I have baked _bread_. I am… _pregnant._ ”

_‘Mom’s pregnant?!’_

Winter’s mouth fell open, her eyes going wide, and Weiss knew that her face showed a similar level of comprehension. Their mother, _pregnant_.

_‘Wait, what? How?!’_

“How?”

Willow Schnee wasn’t a mother who was embarrassed, as she looked drolly at her daughter.

“There comes a time when a man and a woman feel a need to love each other very much, Winter. Sometimes, the woman is unsure about her fertility at her age and she forgets to take her pills, and then, when things are done, she decides not abort it by taking a pill.”

Weiss felt her mother tug their hands to her stomach, where a small flickering pulse of the Schnee Semblance was felt. It was real. It was _real_. Her mother was pregnant again.

“But- Father- I thought you did not-“

Her mother looked away from them, a good sign that she wasn’t going to be very honest. It was a little tic that she’d seen her sister do as well, undoubtedly inherited from their mother.

“It is a Schnee.”

_‘So it’s not father’s…’_

Her mother had cheated on her father. Her mother had gotten pregnant from another man, and there’d been…

“Mother, you…”

Her mother’s eyes darkened, as she looked between the two of them. It was a look of someone who was paranoid, frightened and yet frighteningly dedicated, something that she'd seen before in her mother, during her tenth birthday.

“Your father will _not_ find out. I _needed_ comfort. I _needed_ it, and… And… He was _kind_. _Gentle_. _Drunk,_ but what I _needed_.”

Winter nodded. Her features calmed and she exhaled slowly. Winter was definitely aware of what this might entail, what this might be doing to her mother, her blue eyes firm, hesitation in them now, where there had been none.

Winter had apparently, according to her mother, been interested in getting more siblings. To hear that mother was pregnant again…

_‘You will become the Winter Maiden soon…’_

She couldn’t imagine what it might involve. Winter’s eyes closed, and she exhaled.

“Is… Does… Does the father _know?”_

Her mother’s gaze lowered, and that answer was clear. It was likely that he did not. It was likely, that the man that her mother had slept with, was unaware of the child that’d been created with her mother.

“No. He was… _is_ a promising Huntsman though. A man who I convinced to share a drink. We started to speak about… About Weiss, about her team. I… I _wanted_ it. It had been over a decade since I’d last slept with a man, and he was _tall_ , _strong_ and rather handsome. A man you can feel a measure of comfort in, even if he considers himself to be bad luck to those around him. He’s lost… He’s lost someone he loved in the past. One of the women on his team, and he speaks of a sister fondly, but...”

_‘Oh gods, she slept with Ruby’s uncle!’_

That was just so wrong on multiple levels, so wrong on so many levels, but also… nice, she supposed. Yang and Ruby were great. But still, her mother was pregnant!

“I… I see. I’m happy for you, but- but what about father?”

Winter’s voice was soft, questioning, more restrained and collected than before. A look in her eyes, as she pulled her Scroll out, checking a feed of medical data. There was nervousness suddenly in her older sister.

“He will be listed as the father and be _forced_ to pay for a child that is not his, or be faced with the shame. I really do not care for him anymore. I care for _you_. You're my children and I love you.”

That much was certain and final, as Winter asked a few more questions. Her mother’s voice was motherly, as Weiss kept feeling that small little Semblance-pulse, showing the life that grew within her mother’s womb.

_‘Unlucky enough to make my mother pregnant…’_

She would need to have _words_ with mister Branwen about proper behaviour.

The door opened and a pale-faced Whitley entered, seating himself next to her, looking at Jaune, who sat himself down on one of the chairs, his eyes looking at them. He looked gentle and understanding, and she felt warmth go through her.

“Mother… Did father really kill grandfather?”

A child’s voice asked the question, as Whitley no longer looked like the fourteen years that he was, but much younger. Willow Schnee had always been caring, as she smiled softly and nodded.

“He has. He admitted as much in the heat of anger.”

Whitley’s eyes closed and the younger brother that she’d so disliked before faded, as he exhaled deeply.

“I… I guess. Mister Arc told, he- he _told_ me.”

Her mother’s pained grimace, as she got up from her seat at the sofa, dusting herself off.

“Then, I suppose it will be time for a divorce, Whitley.”

Weiss felt bad for Whitley, as he flinched visibly. Personally, she’d rather be rid of her father, as Jaune moved slowly to lay a hand on Whitley’s shoulder in support, in a sort-of-big-brotherly way, the aura wrapping briefly, Whitley looking a little better, looking up at Jaune with a questioning look, as if desiring guidance.

“It’s not the end of the world, Whitley. When my sisters and family died, I… I was pretty devastated, I’ll admit. I’ll make sure to keep your sisters safe, I _promise_. An Arc never goes back on their promise, and we always make sure that we fulfil every promise we make. No Schnee will die when I am around.”

Her mother’s expression was somewhat surprised by that gesture, but Winter spoke up.

“We should leave. It is nearly a quarter to eight now, and… and I think Mister Arc would like to be at the party for his teammate, who has found herself with child.”

It was a sobering moment, she guessed, as his eyes turned resolute and hunky. She was definitely going to make sure that he was happy, even if she had to convince Winter to make that casserole with her. Ruby too. With that stamina, one best have a backup.

“I… I see.”

Her mother walked to Jaune and handed him a small drive, and he tucked it away in a pocket, before something seemed to occur to him.

“Hm… Let’s see if-“

He pulled his Scroll out and then put the drive in the port, and the image appeared on the screen. Her father in a conversation with a man with a moustache, now unblurred. Winter gasped.

“That’s Arthur Watts! He’s supposed to be dead! We must bring this to General Ironwood’s notice immediately.”

The timestamp was around thirty minutes earlier, so the man would likely be gone.

“He is the man who came to visit father several times. I don’t really like him.”

Whitley admitted, and Winter’s lips pressed tightly together, Weiss seeing the urge in her to barge into her father’s study and arresting him immediately for collusion with the man.

“Then… I suppose the divorce will be sped along a little. Criminals don’t really get much leeway with that.”

Her mother’s voice was quiet, as she looked at Jaune with an odd look in her eyes. Jaune pulled himself up and then pulled the small drive out of the port, handing it to Winter.

“We should get this to General Ironwood now, Winter.”

Directive in his voice, a stern-faced feature, the armour looking resplendent in its polished gleam, standing there like a guardian that had come to life to defend their family. Weiss Schnee felt her pussy grow wetter than before as she saw that dedication in his eyes, that bold and inscrutable direction that was only made through the forging power of tragedy and grit.

_‘You’re the man I’d probably want a baby by.’_

Not many could compare to the willpower that she saw in those eyes. Not… well, they were all women, or men that were too darn old for her. He definitely needed a good long blowjob, something that’d be spent time on to get him to blow down her throat, like the needy little girl that she was.

“Yes, we should. Mother? We must leave, and… And-“

Winter’s eyes were troubled, but there was something in them that made Weiss realize that Winter didn’t _want_ to leave.

“And I’ll see whether I can come to visit in a few years. I will be… _deployed_ , so to say, to an outpost far away.”

Their mother’s eyes darkened in a small haze of depression, and Jaune’s expression turned darker, as he undoubtedly felt the pain of what had happened.

“I… I see. I’ll see you again later then, Winter. I’ll… Mister Arc?”

The _pleading_ tone within her mother’s voice cut her deep.

“Keep my little Weiss _safe_ , please? If you require any modifications to your weaponry, I will pay for it, _personally_. Keep her safe, _please_.”

It was desperation, something that didn’t even seem to hit Winter until her mother’s last ‘please’, as Winter’s gaze turned away. Weiss knew that her sister was trying to stop herself from crying, that she was trying so hard…

And _failing._ Her handkerchief dabbed at her eyes, as they left the house, leaving their mother and Whitley behind, standing there forlornly, their mother staring at them depart by car.

Weiss arrived at the party whilst Jaune and Winter went to General Ironwood to report, finding it in full swing. She took Ruby aside for a moment, as she noticed how Blake and Yang were more demure in their appearance.

“So, Ruby? I’ve got a question.”

Something had been bugging her about the meltdown of last night. He’d blamed Blake for the White Fang, Cinder and Pyrrha’s death… but why had Cinder killed Pyrrha? It’d been a death, and she’d gotten his call, but…

“Why did Jaune mention that Pyrrha died because of Blake? She was good, but…”

Ruby’s eyes turned away, as she sighed.

“According to what Nora told me, she was… She was to be the next Fall Maiden. Jaune was… He was listening to a recording, every night. I don’t think he’s over her death, b-but he’s been getting better.”

It was like a punch to the gut. Jaune was going through the same thing again, even if her sister-

“Did she love him?”

She had to know. If-

Ruby smiled in that strangely melancholic way.

“I think she did. She never was open about it, but… but looking back at it, it all makes sense, you know?”

_‘And Winter is going to be the Winter Maiden… If Jaune knew what was happening, he’d go nuts…’_

She could see his horrified face. She could hear him screaming. Cinder Fall was _here_ and he had been in something of an ill-defined relationship with her sister…

Weiss felt sick, even as Nora announced that they were going to be doing something special. The happy mood didn’t quite cheer her up when she was pulled into an energetic dance.

_'I shouldn't have worn heels.'_

She worried that Winter might die, even though she knew she could trust General Ironwood to do everything in his power.

* * *

**Yeah… Some things are just happening. ReNora... Yeah.**

**I hope people are doing okay with the whole Corona Quarantine! Stay safe, stay indoors… and eh, look forward to my updates?**

**Leave a comment if you’d like!**


	12. An old folks' party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visiting a sickly old lady... and the party's conclusion! It's going to be wonderful, ladies and gentlemen!

**Party is back, yay. I got sick. Sorry.**

* * *

Jaune was dismissed by the General together with Winter, whose face was tired-looking after the General’s nervous behaviour after spotting Arthur Watts. A message would soon be going out with an arrest warrant for Jacques Schnee, as well as one for Arthur Watts. The knowledge that those two had been working together was something that would spread.

“Do you…”

She looked at him, her eyes desperate again. He laid a hand on her and let his Aura flow into her, offering her that support that she needed. She’d feel better again, warmer and more comfortable than before.

He’d make sure that she would never fall.

“Do you want me to try? General Ironwood doesn’t need the stress of his grandmother dying…”

The hesitation showed on her face, before she seemed to come to a conclusion. She gave a tired smile, as she ran a hand through her hair, the neat bun less orderly now.

“I guess another visitor might not be such a bad idea. Perhaps you can help the poor woman last a little longer.”

They walked through the interior of Atlas’ special medical facility, the camera’s recording their steps, but none of the soldiers daring to interfere with their progress, as he stood there in front of a door, Winter opening it up for him.

“Fria, I’ve brought a guest, the… The boy I talked about, I thought you might appreciate his company.”

He put the smile on his face, even with the old woman in the bed giving a soft ‘ah, how nice’.

_‘It’s time to do what has to be done.’_

He sat down on the chair next to the woman, still dressed in his armour. The woman was old and fragile, yet he could see that the woman seemed to be happy with his presence around. Her eyes peered at him with a question, and he knew that there were answers to that question.

“So… You’re the one Winter has been dating. I'd almost thought you were Old Nick Schnee, here to come and give me a good time... that scoundrel had a way with words that could make a woman _blush_. All the huntresses back in the day wanted him.”

He nodded to the old woman, laying a hand on her arm, trying to make the woman feel more comfortable with his presence.

“My name is Jaune Arc, Miss Fria.”

He smiled the best that he could, his eyes looking into the old woman’s blue ones, the coolness of the room making him feel surprised that the woman was as warm as she appeared to be.

“Jaune… Arc? A relation to Guinevere of Arcadia?”

He nodded, as he called up the face of his great-grandmother. The woman’s face crinkled in distaste, and he could see where that had come from. It wouldn’t be easy to call his great-grandmother ‘likeable’.

“She’s my great-grandmother.”

She was. Her name had been relatively well-known, but his great-grandfather had been a hero. The old woman’s face looked a little surprised, but she smiled.

“A good-looking grandson she has. Yes… I do remember… She was one of the Mantlean generals, years before in the War.”

His eyes went to the machine that would facilitate the process to transfer the powers to a new host for the woman’s soul, the mixing of the soul and the aura and whatever had brought the magic into the next host for the powers.

“Here’s a cup of tea, Fria.”

Winter’s soft voice was there, the old woman accepting the cup with a smile, a little crinkling of her cheeks, the wrinkles showing clearly the joy that the woman took from such a simple act.

“Thank you, dear. When I am gone… You’ll love this young man, won’t you? You’ve told me about him, I… think? You _did_ tell me, yes?”

Winter smiled, nodding.

“He’s the man I went on a date with and had to miss our meeting, Fria. He’s… He’s the man I _like.”_

The old woman smiled, and Jaune laid a hand on the woman’s side, the touch making her look at him with surprised eyes.

“Oh? I’m afraid I’m a little too old for you, sweetheart. There’s a fresh little spring blossom waiting for you on my other side.”

He slowly pushed his Aura into the old and withered flesh of the woman, the warmth blooming through the skin, colour returning to the flesh.

_‘Okay… Focus on reinforcing the healing capacity…Wrap it around the body, relieving the stress on the heart...’_

“My Semblance makes people heal up a little. It’ll be tough, because I’ve never tried it with someone as old as you are, but if I can make you feel better…”

He wanted to believe in the kindness of people, but golden eyes and ashes were all that he could see. His aura regenerated slowly, and the bar on his Scroll slowly drained, feeling how the old body’s flesh seemed to map out around his Aura. One of the Ace Ops had said that he should experiment with his Semblance, to see if he could do more than amp up things.

“I’m _old_ , child. But… thank you. I feel like the maiden in the tower sometimes.”

He remembered the story from his youth. It was something that his great-grandmother had often told, and his grandmother preferring the stories which held more of a message for the listener. A soft guiding hand, as he heard the words of his father and mother mingle with those of his grandmother, whose body was still firm.

“My grandmother used to tell that story… well, she didn’t, but great-grandmother used to. We all liked it when Grandma came around to tell us stories.”

He could imagine the woman’s face now, as she’d shake her head at him being an idealistic fool. He pulled his Scroll out and then opened it up, showing a picture of him with his sister Saphron, taken when they were in Argus.

“My older sister, Saphron. She’s… she’s great, living in Argus with her wife.”

It wasn’t wrong to love someone of your own, his father and grandfather had said, as great-grandmother’s voice had spoken bitterly about love, but her experiences had never faded from her mind. Great-grandfather’s portrait hung at the wall at the house, the man heroic in appearance.

“She’s _cute_. She looks happy to see you.”

He laughed, as he pulled up the family portraits that he’d made and aligned in chronological order. One of him with his sister Aurum, wearing her medical scrubs, looking like she’d wanted to make the world a better place. They were all heroes in their own right, even if none of them had ever decided to become Huntsmen.

“My big sister Aurum. I’m the youngest, so… Yeah, just Jaune Arc, the youngest one. Aurum graduated the academy for medicinal science three years ago.”

The sad tone in his voice was there, as he watched Winter’s reaction, his eyes looking at his sister’s face as the picture showed him at fifteen. He’d never want to see his sisters cry, not like Saphron had cried when she’d met him again. The pain in her heart had been fierce, he knew. They hadn't known, being in Argus rather than in Vale.

* * *

_“JAUNE?!”_

_A crushing weight of that hug, as his sister bawled into his chest, her wife looking awkwardly, as he waved, before he laid a hand on his older sister’s shoulder, her eyes not stopping with their leaking. He rubbed over it, as the young boy in Terra’s arms looked at him with wide eyes._

_“Hey, don’t cry, big sis. I’m still alive.”_

_She’d looked up at him, her eyes teary and angry._

_“We were all worried! Beacon fell and we didn’t know whether you were alive! Communications have been cut off across the Kingdoms, and you hurt me like this? You stupid, moronic little bastard!”_

_He’d allowed her to cuss him out for a minute or two, before he motioned to Ren and Nora, who stood there rather bedraggled after watching his sister cuss him out.._

_“These are… These are my friends. Ren and Nora, my team… well, those who survived. Pyrrha… Pyrrha didn’t make it.”_

_His sister’s gasp, the look in her eyes fearful, but he knew the feeling inside his sister, the heart-rending fear of losing someone that they loved._

_“Pyrrha Nikos?”_

_A shudder went through them, as Nora stepped forward, looking at Terra, who looked with muted concern._

_“Nora Valkyrie, pleased to meet you, Mrs Arc.”_

_Terra put a small smile on her lips, before she did her own introduction, his attention taken by his sister once more. Saphron was looking at him with a look that was calm, with its own peace made._

_“Don’t scare us again, Jaune. You know that we all love you so much. We’ve only got one little brother, even if he is a moron. Adrian would like to meet his uncle.”_

* * *

“She looks like a fine girl. What does she do now? Did she finish her schooling fully yet?”

He looked into Winter’s eyes, asking for permission to speak, but the woman looked as interested in the tale of his dead sister.

“I think she was dating, the last time I saw her. Not much luck, though.”

He’d avoid the tougher topics. He knew what to do in order to make this work. His heart was steady, as his Aura reached 50%. The vital signs stabilized a little, and the machine started to spark a little. The heartbeat spiked a little with the touch of his aura, but he was not going to stop now.

“How do you feel?”

The old woman smiled, and his heart felt a little relieved, as the cool flesh heated up below his touch, the gauntlets not even in the way, as the old woman’s hand grabbed his own.

“Much better. It feels… It feels lighter now. There’s no pain.”

He was sure that there wouldn’t be, trying his best. He looked at the old woman, before his hand pulled away for a moment to let his Aura recover. His Aura started to recover, as he waited for a second, feeling the distant pulse of his Aura in the woman’s body, scrolling through the pictures with a finger.

Twin sisters stood at his sides, their eyes bright, the funny hats that they wore showing that they’d graduated from Vale University.

“Annah and Hanna. Dad _wasn’t_ particularly creative, you know? Mom said that it’d work best with a similar-sounding name, and she wasn’t… Heh. She wasn’t able to stop him. It’s a flaw of us, being rather stubborn. They graduated two years ago, before the whole hubbub with Beacon. Engineering degrees. Mom said that they’d blow up a bridge someday, and well…”

They had been enthusiastic, as they’d ruffled his hair. He remembered that well, knowing that they should’ve been going to Vacuo eventually, but where, he didn’t know. It was a mess, with global communication down as it was.

“Fun. I remember blowing up a bridge in the Faunus Uprising.”

_‘That’s over thirty years ago.’_

He smiled at the woman, as he laid his hand on her again, pushing the Aura into the woman’s body, feeling every little nook and cranny resonate with how own Aura still. He trusted that he’d be able to help her, that he’d make her last a little longer so Winter wouldn’t be the sacrificial maiden for the ambitions of Atlas tonight. He had to do it.

_‘Do you believe in Destiny?’_

“And this is my older sister Star, she’s…”

He coughed a little. Her chosen career wasn’t something that he’d like to talk about, an embarrassment as it was. The picture that he’d chosen to pull up was him at his seventeenth birthday, with her on his lap and not wearing too much, about the only picture with him and Star in it, Star’s face visible with a grin on it and little tassels still swinging. 

“She’s an _exotic_ dancer.”

He remembered when _that_ had come out. Saphron and Star had holed themselves up in their room, as father had nearly breathed fire at the discovery. Star didn’t sell her body, but she liked to work a pole, as she’d said as a joke a few times. They were the progressive members of the family, or so they'd stated.

Winter looked curious about Star, and he smiled to comfort her, the pump of Aura into the old body making the Winter Maiden glow with his soul’s light. Several of the lines started to flicker, and he felt his Aura recover, before he pulled himself back a little, to allow himself to recover a little. It wasn’t like with Weiss. 

“She loves us, but she’s always had a wild streak. Saphron came out as gay, so she’s eh… she’s living the life, free as a bird. Grandma nearly beat the door down in demanding an _explanation_. She was not so very happy hearing that Star was ‘peddling her flesh to those not her husband’. The television caught fire then. Dad went flying when grandma kicked his ass for ‘letting his daughter be despoiled by the lustful looks of barbarians who were unworthy’, heh. That feels like an age ago…”

Winter spoke up, as curiosity in her voice seemed to be present. Curiosity about the sisters that he’d mentioned, that had been shown.

“They’re… They’ll be missed, Jaune. The memories that you have of them…”

_‘My memories…’_

Star had given him a lap dance for his sixteenth, and that’d been the last time that they’d all gotten together to tease him. It’d been embarrassing, but it’d been _fun_. That he’d been blushing and embarrassed at his older sister giving him a lap dance was just more amusement for the other sisters, who took pleasure in his embarrassment, and his mother had _really_ torn into his sister.

Dad hadn’t been able to stop laughing before he gave the serious face and the ‘You should not do th-ah, oh god, my sides, honey, stop hitting me! Help!’ line.

_“STAR AMANDA ARC!” “Mom, live a little! He’s sixteen! The least he can have is a bit of fun with his big sister!” “STAR!”_

“They’d love to spoil my kids, if I ever have them.”

He knew that they would, if he’d ever put new life on the world. He wasn’t sure whether he was ready to be a father yet, but they wouldn’t be hurt because of his actions. He’d make sure that the children he fathered would be taken care of, even if he had to go against every natural urge that he felt.

He was Jaune Arc, and he was someone who would protect. Winter Schnee would be safe, even with him acting as he had. For the insurance that there would be no more Cinder Fall in this world, he would do _whatever_ it took.

His Aura had nearly emptied and he let the amplification effect ebb for a moment, recovering slowly, the body of the Winter Maiden glowed with that glow, shimmering a little. He’d amped the analgesic effects of her brain up up, and he’d known enough about the heart from how Nicta had explained it to him.

“I hope that you’ll have them, Mister Arc. Many, if your sisters are an indication.”

He smiled at the old woman, as his hand grabbed hers, and the shiver that went through the woman was as expected, as he had grown close to being empty of Aura during the brief pump of his life’s force into the woman. He smiled at the woman with a broad smile that showed the love that he felt for Winter, that feeling inside him that told him to protect her from all the dangers around her.

“I hope that you’ll remember me, miss Fria. I’ll protect Mantle, and Atlas, and Winter. That’s what a man should do.”

He looked into Winter’s eyes, as he slid the photo to the side, showing how his youngest sister sat in his lap, a petite girl wearing a bikini whilst his arms were wrapped around her, keeping her in his presence. If it hadn’t been for her, he’d have been the Bob doll for their dress-up parties, but his youngest sister had been petite, in the way of the Arc family. She was quite a bit shorter than Weiss was, but there was at least some difference. She had the habit of keeping quiet, having lost her boyfriend during the Fall of Beacon, according to Saphron.

“Rosa, the youngest of my sisters. She’s the baby of the family… well, before I came around. Mom said that she’d always been a handful before I came, but she’s just trying her best. She wants to be a businesswoman, so she’s got that going for her, but with how things were… There wasn’t much of a choice for us. Mom and dad were pretty strict.”

He looked at that cute face, pouting at her ‘taller and bigger’ brother, though she was only two years his senior. She was twenty-one now. It felt like an age since he’d seen her last, but she was still always up for a joke, as he flicked the picture aside, to show the last of his sisters, laying spread out over a comfortable chair at the pool, a bright red bikini glistening in the light, sunglasses half-raised at him as he took the picture.

“And this is Saphron’s slightly younger sister, Sabrina. She’s always said that she wanted to be a witch, so, heh…”

_‘Not quite the best way to describe that… but it fit. She’d wanted to write stories like great-grandma told, about the witch, the wardrobe and the dress of power…’_

The Winter Maiden coughed, shivering a little. He moderated the flow of power, before he let go of it, and then took the empty cup. It was time to pour her a little cup of warmth. He felt a little colder, aware of the mortality of the woman. His Aura was but a small sliver now.

“How about I make you another cup, Fria? Winter? Do you mind if I pour her another cup?”

She made a noncommittal sound, as he laid the Scroll on the woman’s lap, the next few pictures being a few family portraits that he carried around, just to remind him of what he had been fighting for.

Pouring the hot water into the cup and then adding the tea blend to it, straining it and hearing Winter make small talk was something pleasant, as he added some of the honey to it to sweeten it.

_‘Six drops should be enough… Let’s not kill her with the sweetness.’_

He remembered the face of the children of Mantle and their happiness as he’d been a fixture in their life whilst he stirred the honey through the tea, the fragrance heavy, as he put the tea back in the metal holder. He brought the cup over and set it next to the woman, who was looking at the picture of him that’d been taken and that’d been on Saphron’s shelf, back at her home.

“You looked cute with those, and the cute little bunny hoodie.”

He was sure that it was like that, as he laid his hand on her own again. He amped her up, the glow shining through her as he felt the warmth of the tea enter the cool body of the old woman, his eyes closing, as he focused. His Aura pushed into the dying woman’s body, the aged heart straining a little against the power that he shoved into her, and he felt the pain lessen a little, as the woman slowly finished her tea.

“I _was_ cute. Now I’m _handsome_ , don’t you think so, Winter?”

She blushed, aware of what he was saying. They’d made love. He’d felt something for her that he hadn’t felt for Weiss, that he hadn’t felt for her mother, though they all were lovely women.

The Schnee family was bright and warm, when they were united. Willow as the loving mother, reminding him of his father and mother a little in the deep love that she held for her children, and Winter as someone like Pyrrha. Selfless in her sacrifice, deep and hurt… and he would _not_ let Cinder Fall ruin that.

Weiss was like a sweet treat, someone who you could just love and know that they would love you back. He knew that she would be horrified if she knew some of the things he’d done, but…

_“OZPINNNN!”_

Anger on the big brute’s face, as he threw Nora and Ren, working for Cinder Fall and her band of murderers. He remembered that bearded face, remembered how it’d looked from afar, aware that his friends could get hurt or _die_.

All because of Ozpin and his _games_. He was not going to let another person be sacrificed for the goal of fighting against someone who could not be killed, locked away as if they were some sort of puppet or pawn in the grand game of strategy.

* * *

 _“_ _Now, you must make a move, Jaune.”_

_Aged features that were still smooth, the blue eyes peering into his own, the cane resting against her seat, the chessboard in front of him, as he looked at his options. Guinevere Arc was patient, as she made a move and he had to respond._

_“Why did you sacrifice your pawn?”_

_A question, as the old woman looked at him with a question in her eyes. The dark dress that she wore bore the Arc family crest, her eyes boring into his own with that desire for answers._

_“Because it would benefit me in the future. A hero plans ahead.”_

_A smile on her lips as the answer seemed to suit her._

_“A man who plans ahead, often gets struck by illness, passing away suddenly. An… unfortunate fate, my little Jaune. I’ve seen it happen. The moment when my husband died, my world froze over and I felt nothing but injustice. At his bedside, I could only sit for days, still beautiful and young as he withered away.”_

_Great-Grandmother’s husband had been lost due to the sickness, and she’d reared grandfather herself. Grandmother had been a disrespectful wench, according to great-grandmother, but she’d ‘learned her place’._

_“I want to be a hero, great-grandma!”_

_He’d wanted to be one of the Huntsmen, like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, the woman’s fingers touching his cheek, the darkly painted fingernails touching over the skin, as the woman exhaled softly._

_“Heroics… You would be better off being a farmer of souls, my sweet child. You have a keen mind, and whilst that desire to be a hero is admirable… Even the most brilliant of lights can flicker and die…”_

_A flash of something in his great-grandmother’s eyes, her eyes looking down at the board in thought, as he made his next move. She moved immediately, the pawn shifted to the front, as she stroked her hand over his cheek affectionately._

_“I wish that you will see that, little Jaune. Your father became a Huntsman, but you do not need to be one. You can become one of the council members that steward this Kingdom, if you put your mind to it.”_

_He’d pulled back and said that he was resolute, that he wouldn’t give up on his dream, and she had accepted that, he thought. She hadn’t said another word, but she’d given him a look that made him feel low, as her eyes flickered darkly, a look of anger and something more below that surface._

_“When the Grimm come, Jaune, they will tear you apart. Do you wish to hurt your sisters and your mother and father like that? There is only a grave waiting for you, my dearest grandson.”_

_The look in his great-grandmother’s eyes was plaintive, pleading, and he knew that he’d not go for it._

_“Perhaps… I’ll need to think about it some more.”_

_He’d be a Huntsman regardless! Saving the weak, finding a woman to settle down and introduce to the family._

_Even great-grandma would like the girl that he found, she’d be amazing! A princess among princesses!_

* * *

Ozpin didn’t even make a move on the board that he’d set up on the world, preferring to hide behind the façade of a little boy. He had seen the looks that Oscar… or he should say, Ozpin, had been sending to Ruby. The awkwardness, the shy looks…

It was as if he really _was_ a teenage boy, looking at a cute girl. It was as if there was really something more, but Jaune knew better. Ozma would not get his claws on Ruby. He would keep his friends safe. Ruby did not deserve to become like her mother, impregnated for the next generation of the silver-eyed warriors and then sent to die in some futile suicide mission.

“Ah, you may be putting a little bit too much in me, my dear boy. I feel a little… oof, it hurts a bit.”

He’d overloaded his Semblance, amping it up too much. The machine next to the woman was smoking a little with the force that he’d put into amping up the woman’s body. He pulled on that thread of Aura, and he felt the warmth of his Aura slide into him again, filling him with the power that’d prevented his death during his initiation, that’d been unlocked by Pyrrha. The cup of tea had been finished, and he glanced at the clock. It was nearly nine.

“How does it feel now? Do you have any more pain?”

The warmth he put in his words was at odds with how nervous he felt. As he looked at the picture of his sisters and him when he’d been at age five, he felt that burning power within him, that raging flood of Aura that returned to him with an imprint of the pain in Fria’s body, slowly levelling out. The woman was fading, and the power of the Winter Maiden would find a new host soon.

Age was soon to catch up to the failing body.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

“Why… I feel better. My mind is less fogged, and I feel… Good? Winter, what a _wonderful_ man. He’s making me feel better.”

_“Never! Never, never, never! They will break her! Cinder will-“_

He looked into the woman’s eyes and then slowly closed his eyes, laying a hand on the woman’s body, tugging lightly on the strands of that soul’s shroud around the woman, pushing his Aura in through that connection, boosting the pleasant feelings. The Aura filled the woman, and he knew that it helped, at least a little bit. It’d be enough, as long as he kept pushing into it.

_“It’s simple…”_

“He’s my boyfriend, so…”

He knew that Winter needed support, and he smiled, as he felt his Aura drain once more, the body of the Maiden lighting up again with the glow of his soul’s light. He remembered Pyrrha, he remembered seeing her push him into the locker. A kiss on his lips and despair.

_‘No more…’_

“I’m happy to be her boyfriend. Her sister… well, she’s a cute girl too.”

Weiss was amazing, and Winter looked a little alarmed that he’d mentioned it, and he flicked his picture to the full-family picture, taken a few weeks before he’d gotten the courage to go to Beacon.

His sisters, dressed as properly as they could. Every single face happy and smiling, as he looked at his own face, smiling at them. It was an innocent time, when the worst thing he’d heard was that someone had gotten pregnant out of wedlock, compared to the world that he lived in now, a world of killers and Huntsmen.

_‘Cinder Fall…’_

He felt the emptiness within his soul as his Aura drained once more and he pulled his Aura out of the old woman. The woman was looking at his sisters as they showed their most formal looks. He pointed at them.

“Hanna. Annah. Sabrina. Saphron, Star, Aurum and Rosa and me, there in the middle.”

The woman was watching the faces of his sisters and he pulled his Aura out again as he straightened out. He felt tired, weary, yet energetic. His Aura shuddered a few times, and it flickered as he tried to get up.

He’d recover it slowly, feeling a little like he’d tried to do too much, but it was worth it. Winter’s concerned look as he swayed a little in his seat before he got up. He read his Aura meter, flickering at 1%, the rest of the bar being blackened. It would recover.

“Woah… that took a bit out of me. Winter? How about we arrive at the party a little suitably late, hmm? Miss Fria, Winter will look you over, and I’ll make you a nice cup of tea before we depart, so you don’t have to stress yourself getting up.”

He walked to the sink with the cup, glancing in the reflective surface as Winter looked after the old woman, tidying her up. He had done his best to make the woman comfortable during her last moments on this world.

He made the tea as he had done before, draining the extract from the bottle and then stirring it with the spoon, the hot brew smoking a little within the coolness of the room. He was certain now.

_‘Forgive me.’_

The cup was set next to the woman and he smiled again to put the woman at ease. He watched the old face of the woman look kindly and gentle, a little addled by the venerable age that she had. She’d be a great grandmother to anyone, if she’d ever been allowed to have children. The purplish tea smoked still, but the warmth would fade, eventually.

“We should go, Fria. Winter, go ahead, I don’t think I’d like to be arrested right now for trespassing in a place I shouldn’t be in, heh. I got in trouble for stealing an airship before, so…”

He looked at the old woman’s face, Winter going ahead to the door and opening it up. Winter was absent-minded, undoubtedly due to him being able to fix the old woman up a little, prolonging the torment that Winter was under about becoming the Winter Maiden.

“My sisters would love you as their grandma, Fria. You sound like a wonderful person to get to know better. I’m sure that my sisters would all like to meet you one day, if it’s possible.”

The reminder about his sisters had been spoken aloud. He closed the door softly, leaving the Winter Maiden to her musing. The woman would think about his sisters, rather than the woman that had been with him.

_‘The things I have done…’_

“Thank you for trying, Jaune. If she can make it for another week or two, maybe three, the General will be a lot more at ease.”

It was a lie, and he knew it. He smiled softly, as he remembered his sisters and his family.

“I would do it for you, again and again, as long as it took to keep you smiling, Winter.”

She kissed him, a tender moment between the two of them, her fingers brushing through his hair, as her blue eyes looked into him with that desire within them. The kiss lasted for nearly a minute before she parted from him, her blue eyes looking thankful.

He walked together with her, her unhurried steps drawing them further away from the Winter Maiden.

Winter bid him farewell at the path that was split between the two of them, her Scroll starting to beep urgently.

“I’m sorry, I’ve got to-“

She was gone, hurrying towards the Maiden's room at a near-sprint. He shook his head softly as he headed towards his team’s room, where Nora was hosting the party to celebrate her upcoming maternity. She really deserved a party, after putting up with him.

He walked into the closest bathroom first, splashing some water on his face and looking at his face in the mirror, aware that he would need to get to the party before nine-thirty in the evening.

_‘Forgive me, Winter… It is better that the Winter Maiden’s power passes to someone who is not in Atlas. It is too dangerous with Cinder around.’_

Cinder needed to be stopped, at _all_ costs. She would grow stronger if the Winter Maiden’s powers were usurped by her… and he would not allow that.

_‘Strength does not grant you victory, great-grandmother always said…but tactics and strategy will. An old saying, from the days when the Kingdoms were still great.’_

One death for the assurance that there would be no Schnee sacrificed to become a pawn in the grand game between Ozma and Salem.

He left the bathroom, opening the door to the dorm room and spotting the members of team RWBY and his own, Nora’s eyes lighting up as well as Ren as they saw him.

_‘All according to plan, Nora, Ren…’_

He smiled and blinked twice, as had been agreed upon during one of the planning sessions, as his hand brushed over his chestplate, a sign that things had been done.

_‘All things must die.’_

* * *

The party was sort of exciting. Weiss had seen Nora light up as the gifts were pulled out, hastily bought or fashioned together, small little smiles that were shared between the two expecting parents, the burning desire of a baby of her own…

“So… You’re back together.”

Weiss tried to talk to Nora, now that there wasn’t the loud ‘baby boom bay!’ music on the background, Ruby and the others crowding around Ren and congratulating him with the happy event, the stoic man smiling calmly and saying that it’d not really been too unexpected.

“Yes.”

The answer was short and there definitely was a load of irritation to the word, as Nora looked at her accusingly. Weiss couldn’t fully blame her, aware that the girl had always been close to her team leader, and that they were friends, but still a team.

“Are you… Are you going to settle for a bit, until it’s born?”

She asked, and Nora shrugged, unsure of it, it seemed.

“I don’t know. We’re just thinking about our options. We can still remove it, but… but it’s still our baby.”

Weiss could understand, aware that she’d be having a little brother or sister in the near future as well. Winter was more shocked than she was, undoubtedly. The news would hit like a sledgehammer to the face, if it was reported.

“My mother is expecting a child as well. She slept with someone at the festivity earlier to celebrate father’s victory over Robyn Hill, and-“

Nora’s eyes had gone wide, and her mouth had fallen open, something in those eyes shifting, as Nora looked sharply at the door, as if trying to decide whether to do something drastic, the smile a little more forced, if Weiss had to make a guess.

“How… how _nice_! We can be mommies together! Your mommy and my being a mom, what a riot, right?”

_‘Why does she look so worried? It’s not like she really knows mother…’_

She was spared the thought of delving deeper into the expression of Nora as Yang drew her attention, clearing her throat.

“So, have you decided on a godmother yet?”

That would be a thing to be concerned about. Of course, there would be a godmother needed, that was how things usually went in the world.

“Well… We’re waiting for Jaune. We want him to be the godfather. We are still team JNR.”

It was sensible, and made sense from her perspective. Weiss Schnee knew well that there was to be fighting for the spot of godmother, because of how many girls there were. Four girls, and five, if they counted Penny.

“That is an interesting Hard-Light Dust Shield Ring! Is it a special model, or did you get it custom-made? The markings are a 85% similarity to my father’s personal identification code for authorization to the Hard-Light Dust Shield Matrices that keep my interior shielded.”

Nora smiled a little, starting to talk about how happy she was to have gotten a ring from her dear Rennie who'd paid a king's ransom for it, Weiss moving to Ruby, who stood to the side and was looking around. The red-cloaked girl looked a little awkward, standing there with a glass of something sweet and juice-like in her hand, the silver eyes questioning, as Oscar stood at her side, looking equally confused.

“So… How’re things with you and Jaune?”

It was a question she’d rather not answer. She’d rather not answer that question, because she knew that her sister had him again, and he’d not come back to the party yet. They’d started, of course, but it wasn’t fully in swing until they’d found the man who’d been keeping his team safe. The godfather of the little child that grew within Nora’s belly.

She wasn’t envious, no. She was a little… maybe, juuuuust a little bit. A child. She’d have a little brother or sister soon. Winter would be the Winter Maiden soon, and she’d keep the secret. Nora’s Scroll rang, and she picked it up.

“Hey! Yes, it’s nearly half, so we’ll have the party ready to pop. How are things on your end? Jaune? No, he’s not here yet. We’ll unveil the little present when he’s there, okay? Thanks again. He’s grateful for the organization of that thing. It means a lot that you’re all willing to support him.”

The conversation was a little odd, but she supposed that team JNR had found something within their hearts to give to them, maybe a clue about the sex of the child. She remembered the little life, the little reaction that’d been given to her Semblance, that pulse that wasn’t a beat of the heart yet, but would. It was the Semblance that she’d inherited, something that told her ‘this is a Schnee’.

“One of Jaune’s admirers from Mantle. She’s been worried that he’ll do something terrible. As _if_. Our Jaune never does things without a reason… And he really loves your sister, Weiss.”

She knew that, and it hurt her a little to hear it from Nora’s lips, the petite ginger girl moving to Ren and tapping him on the shoulder.

“It’s time, Ren. Now, we’ve just got to wait for our glorious man to return.”

Weiss felt some sense of nervous urgency, as Jaune entered, smiling like he always did. The thought of herself, decked out in only ribbons with a little scrawled ‘eat me’ on her stomach, laid on a bed for him to take, made itself known by the flush that appeared on her cheeks.

_‘Hmm…’_

It was a fancy. Her sister had him now.

Jaune went straight for the table that’d been set up, grabbing a bottle of what seemed to be alcohol and then taking a drink, before he handed it to Ren, who put it down again on the table, Jaune walking to the middle of the room and smiling.

“Ladies… Oscar… Penny.”

His eyes were manly. He looked at them all as if he was to determine their fate, and she felt like a princess that was going to be married to him. Marriage might be nice. Winter was becoming the Maiden…So perhaps she'd get the heart-broken blonde? It was cruel, but she wanted to see him happy, rather than sad.

“Thank you for supporting me. Without you here, I couldn't have done it.”

She smiled, aware that he was thanking them, the festivities coming to an end, Nora shutting the music off, just to let him have a moment to speak.

“I’ve done things I am not proud of. Things that go against everything that I was taught. To be an Arc is to be a hero, a Huntsman, someone that people can put their faith in.”

The beep of her Scroll, as she pulled it out, as did several others. An arrest warrant for Jaune Arc, on charges of treason against the Kingdom of Atlas. She gazed at him with barely any comprehension of _why_ in her eyes, wondering what had spurred this accusation on. There _shouldn’t_ be any arrest warrant out for him, he was innocent of doing anything wrong, this must be some sort of horrible mistake.

Jaune noticed it on his Scroll as well, his eyes looking sad for a moment, before a determined look came to his eyes and something more. Something frightening, yet something that seemed to instil within her hope.

“Everything that I’ve done is to protect _all_ of you. Weiss… I’m _sorry_. Nora, wait a bit with opening the present. Tomorrow, okay? Things will be a little… busy, tonight. Put it in the cooler in team RWBY's room, ours broke yesterday. Wouldn't want to have it drip all over the place and make a mess.” 

A smile rested on his lips, as he looked at them with something that was both arousing as well as scary, his eyes burning with that deep dark desire within the depths, burning like a lit flame that terrified her. It was a man determined to fight, determined to do what he thought was right. With the cloak and the armour, he looked like a warrior king about to face down his fate, the cloak looking fashionable.

A knock on the door, and a stern-faced Clover Ebi and Harriet Bree stood there, Ruby’s uncle behind them. Nora’s Scroll was raised and she pressed a button. Ruby’s uncle, the man who had been with her mother and put a baby in her, looked worriedly at Jaune, as if he didn’t quite know what was going on.

“Jaune Arc, you are under arrest on suspicion of treason and sedition against Atlas on General Ironwood’s orders. Please come with us quietly, and we won’t have to use force to bring you in.”

A smile tugged on Jaune’s lips, as he turned to them and held out his hands. The cuffs that the leader of the Ace Ops pulled from his belt were the heavier kind, for arrests, not like the bola’s that had been used to bring them in. Harriet was the one to put them on, rougher than she should’ve, Jaune’s body knocked about a little, the armour clattering a little, as he kept a stoic face for most of the time that he was put in cuffs.

“Fighting against the General would do nothing, so I submit myself to your arrest. _Everything_ I have done was for the good of the common people of Mantle and Atlas. Jaune Arc _promised_ to keep people _safe,_ and he does _not_ break his word.”

The words were stately whilst the cuffs were put on and his body swayed, and he was led away by the man, Ruby’s uncle looking sadly at them for a moment, before he shut the door, leading their friend away to… wherever he was going to be taken.

_‘You’re just obeying orders… But why?’_

“Send it, Nora.”

Ren’s voice was light, and the ginger girl pressed a button on her Scroll. A click, and a sigh that came from her as she ran a hand through her hair.

“We did all we could, Ren.”

The stunned silence that fell was there, and Nora’s soft sigh, as she looked at Ren for a moment. A blip, as the message was sent.

“They’ve received the message.”

Ruby’s small voice spoke up, unusually light. There was something in her eyes, Weiss noticed, that was concerned.

“What… what message? What… What are you talking about?”

Nora’s eyes were cold, as her lips quirked into a small smile that looked warmer than before as her eyes warmed up a little.

“That Jaune was arrested. Mantle is going to be in _flames_ , Ruby, if that gets out. If you thought that your partner’s father’s election was bad…”

A mirthless laugh, as the cool blue eyes looked at Ren, who nodded solemnly.

“Imagine what image it would send to see the Hero of Mantle be arrested on cases of treason, whilst General Ironwood’s ‘defender of Mantle’ got off without any sort of personal impediment. She was deemed to be ‘cleared of all charges’ by the General himself, wasn’t she?”

Weiss pulled her Scroll out and called up the news. Images of people in the streets, calling out for justice. How had they even gotten that many people together so quickly?

“JUSTICE! WE WILL NOT BE OPPRESSED BY ATLAS ANY LONGER!”

A bearded fellow with a big moustache was shown throwing a lit Molotov cocktail at a storefront window, angry masses thronging around them.

“TRAITOR! HILL HAS BEEN WORKING WITH A KNOWN ROGUE SCIENTIST!”

A board with an election poster with a big red X through it was held up by a pair of women, one of them a Faunus and the other human, in a show of surprising unity, the marks of the labour in the mine visible on the Faunus woman, whilst the other woman seemed to be wielding a welder's set of gloves.

“FUCK YOU, HILL! ALL FOR MANTLE, EH?! WORKING TOGETHER WITH THAT BASTARD DOG OF IRONWOOD!”

A Huntsman with his weapons in the air shouted, red hair blazing in the light of one of the lit trashcans.

“WE WON’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE, IRONWOOD! YOUR SPIES ARE VISIBLE TO ALL OF US!” 

A man with a speaker shouted, a set of thin wire-frame glasses and a heavy winter coat shouted, loudly.

“This is Petunia Petroleum, from the streets of Mantle. The citizens are rising up against former Council candidate Robyn Hill, after the shocking revelation that she has been working with a former scientist involved in the creation of Penny Polendina, the so-called Protector of Mantle. The people of Mantle are rioting in the streets, demanding answers from the Council about how this could have happened.”

A thin-looking woman stood there in front of the crowds of people, as rocks were being thrown at the screens that showed General Ironwood.

_‘He’s… He’s unleashed riots… No, worse… I’ve never seen the people this angry.’_

She didn’t understand why.

Why had he done that?

Nora spoke up, her voice lighter than before, as she put the Scroll down and she went for her weapons. Her face seemed tired, a little more relaxed as she sighed.

“He’ll be free… _soon_ , I hope. They _can’t_ hold him, legally.”

Weiss wondered about that, about the reason for why he’d been arrested. Ruby asked the pertinent question, though.

“Why? Why would… Why wouldn’t he be held legally? What’s… What’s happening?”

A small smile on Nora’s lips was almost a little playful, something that was more than a little poignant, as she laid Magnhild against her shoulder. She looked ready to fight, as Ren glanced at her. 

“He’s running for the Council in the election. He was elected to be the Representative of Mantle earlier this morning after the news was spread about the election fraud by Robyn Hill last night. Colluding with a known robotics scientist, coincidentally the one who _made_ Mantle’s systems… well, it’s not looking good for her for colluding with one of Salem’s friends, does it? I guess that’s what you get when you allow Tyrian Callows to attack _innocents_ at your _celebration party_. Does she still look so good in your eyes now, Blake? Come on, we've got a job to do. Even if he's in prison, our leader still wants us to make sure that the people of Mantle are kept _safe_. That's how a Huntsman should act, so _act_ like it, ladies. We're going down to Mantle to _help._ ”

* * *

**Well... For anyone who said that this is all a string of circumstances strung together to make little to no sense: Did you ever hear Jaune tell anyone non-Atlesian that his sisters were dead after he found out that Winter was to be the Winter Maiden?**

**All warfare is based on deception.**

**He _lied_.**

**Please, do leave a comment. I'd like to see what you thought of it.**


	13. A riot of a party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jailbird Jaune and the fallout of the assassination of the Winter Maiden.

**Enjoy the aftermath of Jaune's assassination of the Winter Maiden. It wasn't an arrow to the chest, this time.**

* * *

The chair in which he’d been put by Harriet and Clover was uncomfortable, just as it had been intended, undoubtedly. He watched as a lamp was pointed at him, and he heard a door opening, the General entering, if he caught the off-beat of his shoes, one side of the man’s body heavier than the other. The man and Winter appeared in his view, the latter looking concerned and upset.

“Mister Arc…”

He looked at the man, whose anger was clearly visible on his features. The man was barely controlling himself, as Winter entered behind him, her eyes doubting, angry, afraid.

“Can you _explain_ to me why you have killed an old and defenceless woman?”

He shifted a little in the seat, getting more comfortable. No such luck, though. His eyes looked into the cool blue ones of the General. The man was not doing what he should, but that was expected. Denying that he knew that Fria was the Winter Maiden... Well, he hadn't been _told_ specifically that she wasn't the General's mother, right?

“I granted her _peace_. It was euthanasia after witnessing that the woman’s body was failing.”

The man’s eyes showed anger at his words, gripping Jaune’s chest plate, the armour allowing him a reasonable shielding from a hit, luckily.

“Winter Schnee was intended to be the Winter Maiden!”

_‘And I have denied you. All you’ve told me is that she was your grandmother.’_

He showed surprise on his face, as if it were news, his gaze going down for a moment as he showed that he was thinking about it, before he nodded, looking up once more to the man.

“I thought I was doing a _mercy_ to the old woman, so you would not be burdened with the ill health of your mother. I did not know that she was the Winter Maiden, Winter never told me.”

He watched as the General restrained himself from showing the full breadth of his fury. There was something in the man’s eyes as he shouted at him, clearly enraged. He’d have to put those lessons in etiquette to work now.

“Where is the Winter Maiden!”

_‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’_

The pictures of his sisters had been carefully arranged. None of them were above the age of thirty, and they were all spread out over the kingdoms. It was all because of the old woman mentioning his grandmother, a good excuse to show the pictures to the woman. Lucky, because it was logical that a man would wish to show his family to someone who remembered their great-grandmother.

“I have _seven_ sisters, General. It has been some time since I last spoke with them… But I am sure that _one_ of them might be the Winter Maiden. I had thought that perhaps, since Fria spoke of great-grandmother, she might have… wanted to see what my great-grandmother’s children’s children looked like.”

The man’s face paled as the realization hit him that it might be one out of seven daughters to the house of Arc, as he looked at Winter with a questioning gaze.

“He… he spoke of his sisters in the past tense. He said that they were _dead,_ sir! Weiss confirmed it and-“

He raised his gaze at the General again.

“I wouldn’t exactly say that they were… well, _dead_. I said that they were lost, I _never_ said that they were dead. You have a more pressing issue than the arrest of Jaune Arc, though. Someone was a traitor to Atlas.”

The General looked at him, and the gun was placed against his forehead, his eyes looking into the man’s eyes with a steely flint-like gaze. Pragmatism. Dedication to the kingdom.

“Blake Belladonna told Robyn Hill about the Amity project… And Robyn Hill was working together with Arthur Watts. Salem is likely on her way already.”

The General cursed, leaving the room, Winter standing there, waiting for him. She looked complicated in her expression, and his eyes met hers, the guilt going through him. Everything was for her.

She was someone he liked, that he thought he might love, but she was tarred with the same brush as Pyrrha had been. A Maiden candidate.

Cinder would come for her.

“W-were you just u-using me?”

The question was soft, as she spoke to him, his mind playing back to those moments that he’d suffered. It was all for the goal of keeping them safe, even if it hurt him. A clean break would heal the most.

“Jaune?”

He looked away from her, not able to bear looking at her. He had done her wrong, he had been a burden on her, something that couldn’t be washed away with a simple apology.

“ _No_. No, it was _never_ about using you, Winter. The only thing I wish for is for your family to live happily, and the burden of caring for an old woman, who was related to the general… I could never hurt you like that. I’ve seen how beautiful you are, Winter. The look in your eyes when we went dancing was magnificent.”

He wasn’t proud of what he’d done. He could never be proud of the murders he had committed for a just cause, but he would keep those he cared for safe, even if it hurt him deeply. He was not someone who could stand by idly to let those that he cared for suffer.

There was a bottom line, and that had been crossed.

“Why would you do such a thing? I was- I was ready, I’d… be… I’d be the Maiden, but then I started to _love_ you.”

He turned his gaze back to her, to see that she was crying, that she’d started to cry because of his actions. It was _worth_ it. It was more than worth it, because she deserved _freedom_.

“You were burning up, Winter. To be a _Maiden_ , I…You would _never_ be free! Your _sister_ would never be free, because _she_ could be a Maiden too, _and_ I will _not_ let her be dragged into this _futile_ war to be killed by a stupid woman who only wishes to be _strong!_ Even if she _wasn’t_ the Winter Maiden, I would have done it, to spare you the heartache of seeing someone pass from this world.”

His eyes met hers, as he smiled, letting his head drop down. He had done all he could for her, and he knew that she would believe him. He had killed to spare her the feeling of being lost, just like Pyrrha. Pyrrha would probably not have approved, but she would have forgiven him.

“Everything that I have done, was for the right cause. It seems Cinder will not find a maiden here to kill, so, she’ll have to _guess_. As long as she does not know… There’ll be safety.”

The plan was simple. If the enemy wanted something, you denied them the opportunity that they could take. It was a very simple thing, and Winter just didn’t get it. General Ironwood, for all his kind words and deeds, was still a military man. He would make the hard choices. Taking the burden on his shoulders was the right thing to do.

“And what if she tracks down your sisters? How can you be sure that they will be safe?”

A laugh came from his lips, as he looked at her with an expression on his face that was mournful, as he knew that his sisters would not be happy with him for what he’d done to them, but would _understand_. Grandmother had been instrumental in instilling them with a strategic mind.

“They’d all rather I will be safe and happy than to worry about being able to throw a lightning bolt, Winter. None of my sisters ever became a Huntress, because our father forbade it. Better any of my sisters than you or Weiss, or _anyone_ else that I care for in the direct vicinity of Cinder Fall.”

He looked at her sad face, before he quieted. A cool mind would prevail, even if the schemes of Ozma would be done with.

“But I could have helped Atlas.”

He looked at her face, at those delicate features that he’d loved before, the woman he’d seen dance with him.

“By _dying_ to Cinder Fall, Winter. Do you _really_ think that you’ll know better than someone who has stolen the power of a Maiden? In experience as a Maiden, she is your better. General Ironwood is out of his depth.”

The Scroll at Winter’s side bleeped, and he could hear the General speak from the speaker.

“Specialist Schnee, the people of Mantle are rioting and your presence is required in order to quell the riots.”

A mirthless laugh from his lips at the thought of the riots actually proceeding, as he watched her, the professional attitude once more slipping into place for her like a mask, a shiver going over her face as she met his eyes.

“They’re upset because of Salem’s agents, Winter. Is this really what you _wanted_? This is how she _works_. Cinder _will_ come for you, because she knows how you _all_ work. I’ve done all that I could, Winter. What is one mercy kill weighed up against the safety of a kingdom?”

She had no answer to that, as she left the room. He had done things that he wasn’t proud of. He had done many things that he knew would not let him look into the mirror, but his team was there for him and he was aware that the game was up for him for now.

_‘Fuck you, Cinder Fall.’_

He remembered a few days ago, when he’d seen that _‘old friend’_ , about to cross the crossing. Those features, he wouldn’t forget. The scars on the torso, the golden eyes that watched people with murderous intensity…

The little girl had moved swiftly, just as he’d asked her to. He’d watched her skip away, motioning for the mothers to do as he instructed. Subconsciously perhaps, they obeyed, as his grip on the stop sign tightened. The man stopped and bent low, nearly crouching before the short girl and leered and Jaune’s Aura flared up, pushing through his muscles, making them glow below the armour. It helped to bolster his strength, as he moved faster, knowing that he only had a few moments, the element of surprise.

“The time, hahah? Oh, what do we do have here, my dear? It is-”

_‘Payback time.’_

With a mighty swing, the stop sign hit the man full-powered in the face with a loud CLANG sound, like a bell being rang. The metal rod to which the sign was attached seemed to quiver, as the swing had been delivered with all of Jaune’s strength behind it, amped up to hit with the force of three of him.

Tyrian Callows lost most of his teeth as the swing hit him with the force of a truck, the man’s awkward manner of crouching having allowed the full brunt force of the sign to hit him in the face with all the strength that Jaune could muster, the man’s body doing a flip in the air, landing on his back, eyes wide, as Jaune’s strike had landed when the man’s attention had been focused on the child in front of him.

The blow had stunned the man, as Jaune’s body moved, raising the stop sign and slamming it down with the broad red surface on the face, the red stop sign denting as it hit the face of Salem’s murderous assassin. Tyrian laid there for a moment, twitching and Jaune raised the sign again, the man’s eyes half-closed and arms coming up in the urge to protect the face, and he slammed it down on that face again, just to be _sure_.

“Thanks, Viri. This is the man who murdered your mother.”

_‘One murdering psychopath down. Nicta said that she was a doctor, so...’_

The fallen man didn’t really move, and he checked for a pulse, finding one. The girl was distressed, but this was more important than a child. The sign was shoved under one of the Scorpion Faunus’ arms, and his sabaton came down onto the arm, the clear snap of the bone audible, as he repeated the process with the other arm.

_‘Better disabled than able to get up again...’_

Broken bones worked better for keeping a man down, grandmother had said. She’d broken her husband’s leg once because he’d been up for the draft. The saying ‘To break a leg’ never had been more true for them all.

Angling the leg up and hearing the man groan, the sign came down on the face once more, making sure that the man was down for the count. A quick snap and he looked down at his work, before breaking the last leg as well.

_‘That’s one psycho not able to make that quick an escape.’_

He shook his head, pulling the helmet off and looking at the young girl that looked scared and horrified by the events, staring at him with wide eyes. Better to have her in fear than to be dead, like her mother. The mercy was _wasted_ on a _creature_ like Tyrian.

“Viri? Thank you for helping out. Couldn’t have done it without you…”

_‘Everyone protects children, and hurting a child makes you suspicious. He wouldn’t have done anything to the child, even if he was the sickest of monsters… Salem never works alone.’_

His eyes narrowed at the unconscious man’s body, aware that it’d pull attention if he left it there, picking the body up and throwing it in an opened garbage dumpster, the BANG sound that the body made as it laid there undoubtedly with a very tough time to get up again, the dumpster shoved away with the lid braced against a wall for the moment, emerging from the alleyway with his hand on Viri’s shoulder for support of the girl.

As he motioned for the mothers of the children to move the children across the street, he singled out the one that he needed. They obeyed, Nicta singled out with a finger, together with Casey.

“Could you help pick up a guy in an alley after we’re done? I still have to get the kids to school, but... He’s _dangerous_.”

The man would be passed out for a while, he reckoned. He remembered how long he’d been out with a concussion and shortened that time by half. Hardy psycho bastards were… yeah, he’d make sure that they’d be safe.

“Does he need a doctor?”

Nicta asked, after they’d brought the children to the school, the women gathering around him. Viri had looked at him in gratitude, as he put a finger to his lips, hoping that she’d keep quiet. Well… If it was about him being a hero, the story wouldn’t be too bad. Wishful fancies of a child.

_‘Now…’_

“Well… He definitely needs a doctor _now_.”

As he entered the alley with the ladies, he located the dumpster immediately, only ten minutes having passed since, and he opened it up to see the unconscious face of Tyrian Callows still there. Pulling the man out of the dumpster and laying him on the ground out for Nicta to inspect, his eyes went for the tail that’d been wrapped around the man’s waist. A lethal-looking stinger had been fitted to the tip.

_‘No, you’re not going to be using that.’_

“He’s out for the count, you… You beat him with the sign?”

Tyrian seemed to stir, and the sign went down once more. Red on red didn’t look that bad, as the man was once more unconscious. He could wash the sign later. It’d be busted due to him wanting to do a little power-move and hitting a lamppost, or something.

“He murdered all those people at the election party. He’s… He _murdered_ your friends.”

The women, who had looked at him with a mixture of fear and perhaps something else, looked down at the body, and he continued to speak.

“A murderous psychopath who serves one of the evilest people in the world, there to create chaos and murder people.”

A gasp, as Nicta looked at the body and then pulled out something from a pocket, a small vial with a syringe, pushing the needle into the bottle and then taking some of the liquid before giving the man an injection.

“He works for Jacques Schnee?!”

Casey gasped aloud, whilst Nicta worked in silence on getting the man injected with the stuff.

_‘Not quite…’_

He had no idea really how the power relation between Tyrian and his mistress worked. He’d not even seen the woman’s face, being out of the range of the green-haired girl’s Semblance. The others had seen it, but he’d been spared that due to being at the back. Nora and Ren had said that she looked like ‘fear itself’, which wasn’t much to go on. It wasn’t important yet, anyway. If she couldn’t be killed, then there’d need to be a different approach to handling the woman.

_‘Adding Salem’s minions to the bunch of issues that I have isn’t going to win me any favours…’_

“This’ll keep him out for an hour or two. It’s a special narcotic for Faunus patients, because sometimes they… Well, I help out at times for the miners.”

He looked at the body and noticed the hooded coat. It’d look like a pretty distinguishing one, and he gave it some thought for a moment, as he noticed their clothes. Walking around with a known fugitive unconscious would be tough, but in times like this…

_‘No, I don’t think I’ll trust General Ironwood. Who knows what kind of things Tyrian knows about Cinder… And the last time that things were going on with Ironwood holding someone in custody, the Fall happened. Torchwick got free, and he murdered all those people with the ship.’_

Tyrian would be sprung free by whatever man had tricked the footage into showing that Penny murdered people. That meant that there were two agents of Salem working in concert, Cinder and that unknown technological person…

“Can you give him your jacket? Having a guy who looks like that between us is going to draw some weird looks?”

The bright purple jacket fit the man, as he was lifted up between Casey and Nicta, the tail tucked into the folds, just two women helping a third one, the braid undone in a simple fashion of undoing the strands of hair. Jaune wondered whether it was a stylistic choice for the man or whether it was just to hearken back to his origins as a Scorpion Faunus, the tail looking dangerous, but the stinger was retracted.

They got to the clinic that Nicta used to run, setting the man onto one of the treatment beds, the other women looking at him with a questioning look. They had passed by the police station earlier on the road, the sight of him wearing his armour and carrying an unconscious man, surrounded by the women drawing a small smile from some of the enforcers, the mechanical scanners letting them pass easily. The jacket that Tyrian wore fit Nicta well, the hood up. The woman flashed her ID as a medical specialist, and they were all just bringing this poor guy to the clinic.

“Do you know how to keep someone alive?”

This man was too dangerous. Too dangerous to keep fully intact. Nicta looked like she was going to be sick, but he firmed himself. This man would have killed Ruby, killed them.

“Yes, but-“

He watched the unconscious man, the _dangerous_ unconscious man, carefully. The man would have difficulty moving, but he wasn’t discounting many of the options that the man had available to him.

“This man would _rape_ your daughter whilst you watched, just because it _amuses_ him. He’d do horrible things to you. He was after a friend of mine, earlier. He wanted to hurt her, to damage her and to bring her to his boss. _Don’t_ feel pity for him. He _killed_ your friends, all in order to cause chaos and fear.”

There was concern on their face, as he looked at Nicta, the only doctor amongst them. Her eyes looked at the man and there was a grimness in them, a question in them.

“What… what will you do?”

Casey asked, and he knew the answer already. It was grim, it was something that he took no pleasure in doing, but…

“ _Whatever_ I must to keep those that I care for, safe. Your daughters and sons, _you_ , the whole city of Mantle. This man _will_ escape. He works together with someone who can manipulate images to make the world think that Penny Polendina attacked Robyn Hill.”

There was a sigh of acceptance, as two of the women left the room, not willing to watch, but their eyes had been understanding, leaving him and Casey and Nicta to stand there. Nicta grabbed an arm and then held it out. She’d gotten the message.

“At the elbow. Make it quick, so I can cauterize the wound. They didn’t _deserve_ to be killed by a monster like this. Robyn Hill did _nothing_! She did nothing, and _HER_ Happy Huntresses are still alive! People are saying that she’s been robbing supply trucks for whatever Ironwood’s cooking up, and… and that wasn’t what we _wanted_. We wanted representation, not a thief!”

He raised his sword and then cut down, blood splattering onto the ground as the arm was cleaved at the elbow, the hot fire Dust cauterizing the wound, as the arm laid at the side.

“There’s… There are many people who lose limbs in the mining accidents. It’s not a safe thing, and… And I can keep him out of the way. You’re… You’re going to interrogate him, aren’t you?”

_‘Sometimes… You have to do the dirty work.’_

He was going to do whatever it took to find Cinder Fall. If this man knew where she was…

The other arm was held out and the blade struck once more and the hiss of cauterizing flesh was heard once again. A leg, chopped off with his strength. Tyrian Callows would _never_ harm another soul with his arms and legs like this. He knew that it would be something worth trying…

_‘Never give ground. For Pyrrha and for Winter…’_

He hadn’t been kind. The interrogation had been _harsh_. Taunting words, jibes and hints, the man’s words and convictions unshakeable. Ren had calmed the man down with his Semblance, even after they had brought in Arthur Watts.

It’d been _easier_ to do after obtaining Tyrian’s Scroll. Ren had long hair and fit the posture of Salem’s pet scorpion monster, and with the Scorpion Faunus’ weapons being worn and the mechanical stinger tucked right there, it had all fit perfectly with just a simple bit of makeup and a set of golden contacts. Obviously, there was the fear of them being discovered, but…

_‘You did break his legs well, Nora.’_

The man had been unprepared for Nora. A frail man, with an impressive moustache. Currently held in Nicta’s clinic, sans arms. Whatever the man had as far as powers of manipulation of information and whatever, it did not stop metal shackles and restraints, as well as duct-tape over the mouth until it was feeding time. A valid scapegoat for the murder of Jacques Schnee, once he’d gotten the timing right with the original recording that showed the man. It'd all be a little fibbing, a bit of a magic trick if Willow handed him a drive with the files, using the old footage in order to frame the man for the murder. In the ruckus around an active riot, one little murder would barely be noticed… and it wasn’t as if the man wasn’t _guilty._ He'd murdered his father in law and admitted it to his wife. Death was giving him mercy.

_‘The things we must do…’_

He would go to some sort of hell for this, but he knew what he had to do. He was _not_ going to let the woman he loved, he liked and more of those confusing, terrible emotions, be harmed by the will of James Ironwood, the man who had declared himself to know the right course of action in his arrogance.

_‘You’ll never take another I love from me again, Ozma…’_

He knew perfectly what the risks were, and the child that the ancient man used as a mask was going to be _‘innocent’,_ until Ruby got pregnant with _another_ silver-eyed baby, just like her mother undoubtedly had just _happened_ to find her way into the bed of her teammate after Raven Branwen had buggered off to be some rough-living bandit. It’d be a _happy_ little accident, and they’d _match_. Soon, Oscar would fade and there would only be Ozma. It was how it’d always been, according to what the lamp’s woman had confirmed to Ruby when they’d been stranded in the wilds, according to Ruby's explanation in Argus.

Mantle would be in an uproar. He’d been more popular than he’d thought. The ladies and the children that he’d shepherded to their school daily, had made him _popular_ amongst the people. They knew the stakes. They knew their world, and Atlas oppressed them. A Dust shard, ready to blow up with the slightest of prodding.

_‘Divide them, and then conquer them.’_

There was no room for error. Winter would never become the Winter Maiden as long as he lived. And she had _not._

Now… He had unleashed half of a kingdom’s anger against the upper part. He’d been more popular than he’d ever thought, with many of the small business owners casting their vote. Jaune Arc was now in the electoral race for the Council of Atlas…

And Jacques Schnee was _dead_ because of Arthur Watts, officially speaking.

It was _worth_ it.

Willow was not a woman who deserved to be smacked around by her husband, treated as if she was someone below his contempt. He had kept the Schnee family _safe_.

_‘Though history may malign me, I did what had to be done.’_

* * *

Weiss watched the faces of the people around her, aware of what it meant to see them. Nora and Ren were quiet and calm, ready to go down to quell the riots, their weapons already fully loaded for Grimm, as the tumult would attract more Grimm to the vicinity.

_‘How can you be so calm?’_

She wasn’t feeling calm at all. Jaune was in custody by the General’s order on charges of treason, he’d planned out the riots… What _could_ she trust? _Who_ could she trust?

“It’s going to be… it’s going to be fine, guys. We’ll be making the people feel happy again and we’ll kill any Grimm that come to the protests.”

Ruby was trying, Weiss could see that. Ruby was trying to give orders, Blake and Yang looking sullen.

“Do you… Do you really think that she would’ve sold us out? Robyn Hill, I mean.”

Yang asked the question to Blake, who turned her head away, not answering it, the golden eyes peering away, the cat Faunus looking like she was more or less considering the same question.

“ _Blake_?! Blake?”

The cat Faunus member of their team turned to her girlfriend. Weiss saw the anger in the Faunus girl’s eyes, and the confusion.

“I don’t _know_ , alright? Humans don’t act as they _should!_ She promised that she’d do whatever it meant to keep people in Mantle safe!”

_‘Humans don’t act as they should?’_

Yang flinched back from the words that Blake said, Blake’s eyes opening wide as she realized what she had just admitted in the heat of the moment. Weiss could see the problem in the words immediately. ‘Humans don’t act as they should.’ It was Faunus propaganda from the Faunus Rights Revolution, referring how Faunus had gained their equal rights, but were still discriminated against. Yang spoke up, a horrified voice.

“Oh god… He was _right_. You _really_ don’t see yourself as a part of the team… Are we just _humans_ to you, Blake?”

Blake hissed at her girlfriend and partner, her face angrily looking at Yang, as if she was at fault.

“You don’t _know_ what it’s like to be oppressed, to be looked at as filthy for having a trait that makes you _better_ than humanity! What do _you_ know, Yang? Miss ‘I am so hip, so cool, that I have never faced angry words or being spat at, because I am pretty and a daughter of a respected Huntsman’ never had to go and see her people be oppressed, has she? Faunus are _dying_ and they need a saviour!”

Weiss her mouth fell open, as Blake’s eyes blazed. Yang just looked like she’d had the ground torn away from underneath her, a shudder going through her body at the thought, as the tears came.

“B-but… But-“

_‘She’s crying…’_

Weiss wanted to give a hug, as the craft settled down on the landing pad in Mantle, Blake getting out first, rather than Ruby, turning to the team, Weiss seeing Nora’s eyes narrow a little.

“I’ll talk to Hill. There must be a reasonable explanation for this. Maybe Watts coerced her or something… She fights for those oppressed, so she _must_ be good!”

Nora’s eyes were dark as she followed Blake, Ruby’s soft ‘Blake, wait!” not reaching the Faunus girl’s ears, as Blake disappeared, once again. Weiss looked at Yang, who was just stumbling, trying to go after her partner and girlfriend.

“Why? I thought we had a good… I thought we were-“

Yang seemed lost, and Weiss made the first move. Wrapping her arms around the blonde, she lightly made shushing sounds as the blonde broke down.

“Come on kids… We’ve got a riot to squash.”

Harriet said, her eyes glinting dangerously. Weiss could see that the other Ace Ops were already there, Marrow looking a little out of it, as he shook his head.

“W-what did Jaune do?”

A question from her best friend and team leader was spoken quietly, as Clover stepped to the forefront. Nora was watching, as the man rolled his shoulders, Qrow standing behind the man, looking a little helpless, like usually was the case.

The scoundrel had impregnated her mother! She’d have to call him… _father Qrow_ … Disgusting.

“He killed the Winter Maiden after gaining entrance to the room she was kept in through manipulating Specialist Schnee. The current status of the Winter Maiden is MIA.”

_‘Oh no…’_

He was sincere, and he wouldn’t… He wouldn’t let any harm come to a Schnee. He’d said as much to her mother, and she’d…

She could understand it. She patted Yang’s back to quiet the girl down a little, the soft murmurs not stopping from the slightly taller and much chestier girl. It wasn’t _nice_ to be reminded that you were a small cup size, but she’d let it slip.

“You, you’re on his team. Did you have any idea that he was planning this?”

Nora’s face was carefully schooled in something that was more serious.

“No. We were having a little bit of a relationship issue… Whatever Jaune did, he did it all on his own and did not inform us.”

Nora wasn’t lying. Weiss knew Nora when she lied, and the face was carefully set in that look of cool distance, aware that there’d be fighting ahead of them.

“All I know is that he registered as an official election candidate under the Vytal Treaty Kingdom Governance Pact. We co-signed because he said he wanted to do something for the people of Mantle.”

The sharp hiss of escaping air was enough, as Clover looked seriously frustrated.

“I guess we’re bringing you in as well, kids. A shame, I was starting to like you…”

Clover’s hand in front of Harriet stopped her, and the young woman looked at her superior officer.

“There’s no use in arresting them. They cosigned because it was needed as members of his team under the Vytal Treaty… And it seems that Arc will be afforded the same protections under the law as Robyn Hill. If his candidacy is known and the treasonous actions of Jacques Schnee have come to light… We may see an election that’ll not have it's like for years.”

Harriet did not agree with it, it seemed, as Ren and Nora turned away, making a few quick gestures, Nora tapping her hammer against the ground a few times.

“Let’s just finish the problem with the riots first, alright? If we get that done, we can decide on what to do.”

Qrow came into the conversation, Clover nodding once.

“Alright, move out! We’ve got to pacify the people before they attract too many Grimm!”

Weiss sighed, aware of things having gone wildly out of control. Yang just followed after her, still not in her best state, but functional, at the very least. Ruby looked to her uncle for support, the man making a motion and a gruff-voiced ‘Let’s move, kids’.

* * *

“THIS IS NOT DEMOCRACY! THIS IS TYRRANY! IRONWOOD SHOULD STEP DOWN!”

The calls from the crowd were loud, as Weiss looked at the masses of people, several of the robotic guards that kept the peace lying scattered over the ground, as the throngs of angry people moved through the streets.

“Calm down people! There is no reason for your distress! General Ironwood is doing all that he can, it’ll just be-“

Clover had a rock miss him, which hit Ruby’s uncle in the cheek, the man groaning lightly about bad luck, as the crowd wasn’t happy with the answer. Angry faces, people’s signs visible. Weiss could see ‘Arc for Councillor!’ and ‘Arc for Mantle!’ signs held up, as she watched several of the people start throwing bottles.

“Why did you arrest one of Ironwood’s political opponents, huh? Where is Arc!? We’re _tired_ of Ironwood’s infiltrators coming here! Hill was an infiltrator, sent to beguile us that Atlas cares!”

Weiss could notice the look of concern on the Ace Ops leader’s face, as the information hit him. It wasn’t a good political situation, and Weiss knew that if she spoke up, she’d be a target as well. The people were volatile and angry, and with just cause. If Hill had been working with Salem…

“Robyn Hill has been opposed to general Ironwood publically, we cannot make statements about-“

The people seemed to be even angrier, Clover’s head missed by a thrown bottle of cheap liquor, Weiss dodging it as it headed straight for her.

 _“LIAR!_ SHE WAS TAUGHT FOR FOUR YEARS BY THE GENERAL, GRADUATING FROM ATLAS ACADEMY WITH HIGH DISTINCTION! WHAT ASSURANCE DO WE HAVE THAT SHE ISN’T A SPY FOR THE ATLAS ELITE, HERE TO PACIFY THE WORKERS? SCHNEE CHEATED!”

The angry shout was carried by the crowd, and the people were angry. A crackle of a speaker, and Clover’s words were thrown back over the crowd. There was quiet for a moment, as Jaune’s response came through the speaker. Weiss could see the holder of the speaker, a blonde woman with a shawl covering her face, look at the crowd as she held a Scroll to the speaker.

“Fighting against the General would do nothing, so I submit myself to your arrest. _Everything_ I have done, was for the good of the common people of Mantle and Atlas. Jaune Arc promised to keep people safe, and he does not break his word.”

The effect of those words was stunning. The crowd quieted and looked at them with angry, accusing eyes. Clover looked unnerved, but Weiss saw the hatred in those eyes. The people of Mantle were unhappy.

“If this is all the thanks a hero of Mantle gets, then Mantle does not count! A council? Ironwood has two seats on a council of five! Sleet and Camilla don’t interrupt him whenever he speaks! It is a Council in name only! DOWN WITH KING IRONWOOD! WE WILL NOT BE RULED BY A FOOLISH KING ONCE AGAIN!”

The crowd picked up their chants once more and it seemed like the current situation was going to spiral out of control. She couldn’t really know what to do, and the information screens flickered to life.

“Citizens of Mantle, I hereby urge for your calmness and understanding. In a time of crisis like this, a riot is the least that we will want. Emotions call the Grimm, and when it is at a time like this, we must band together in order to be strong. Atlas is a kingdom, and we stand united!”

The words couldn’t have come at a worse time. Shouts of ‘The king speaks!’ and ‘Long live King Ironwood!’ came, as the people gave looks of anger at them. Someone shouted ‘Remember the Great War!’ and there was a shiver that went through the great mass of people, before they started to turn away from them.

_‘Remember the Great War… But…’_

“Why did they leave?”

Ruby asked that, as the Ace Ops looked grim. The people hadn’t rioted for very long, just calmly going back to their homes, but the message that had spread was there.

“After the Great War, the King of Mantle was executed. If… They might secede from the Kingdom of Atlas, if this keeps up. If they voted for Jaune Arc as their representative on the council… There really _isn’t_ a representative for Mantle, and Hill…”

The man’s face looked pensive, and his eyes looked around.

“Where is your Faunus teammate?”

It wasn’t even discriminatory in its way of speaking, but Yang flinched. She spoke up, the guilty look on her face speaking volumes.

“She… She left to find Robyn Hill.”

A look came, and Clover picked up his Scroll, speaking a few words before it connected to the servers in Atlas

“Have an arrest warrant out for Belladonna, Blake. She has gone to inform Hill, who is linked to Arthur Watts, on suspicion of treason to Atlas. She is to be taken into custody on-sight.”

Weiss spoke up, as she felt that it was her duty. Atlas was _still_ her Kingdom, even if she felt closer to her team. Blake had crossed the line and she’d done so without any sort of concern for her team.

“She used to be with the White Fang. If you want to capture her, make sure to take that into account. She was trained by Adam Taurus and knows how to set explosives and hack into systems.”

The man nodded, adding the information to the relaying of the arrest warrant. Weiss knew that it wasn’t proper, but she was _done_ with a Faunus who didn’t seem to understand the meaning of loyalty.

Jaune’s killing of the Winter Maiden had obviously been to deny Cinder Fall the power. Seeing him move at the dinner was inspiring, as the chased off the assassin, remembering his words earlier.

_‘standing in front of a statue, apologizing’_

It would be tragic, it fitted, and it made her feel sad. He was such a loving young man… and she loved him, at least more than just lust. If he’d let the old woman die a death that was peaceful…

He would be good for her sister, if he got out of the hairy situation he was in.

Clover’s Scroll beeped, and the man answered it, turning a pasty white.

“We’re…”

The man’s certainty seemed to be absent, as he looked at his Scroll, data flickering over it, the leader of the Ace Ops standing there like he didn’t quite know what to do.

“We’re being recalled to Atlas. The General has some bad news to share…”

* * *

Weiss watched how the General sat at his desk, the hands in his hair, gazing down at his desk. The man’s weary expression seemed to have aged him preternaturally, as the man looked at his desk with hollow, blue eyes.

“Team RWBY reporting in, General Ironwood, sir.”

Winter stood at the man’s side, though there was tiredness and tears on her face, looking far more glum than she should have. The man’s eyes looked at them, and he moved a hand to the screen, showing a smoking wreckage, crashed against the tundra grounds, familiar in outward appearance.

“The Grimm… They took out the Amity Coliseum. They…”

The anger on the General’s face, as his hand slammed down.

“We were _stupid_ to think that there _wouldn’t_ be a traitor in our midst! How could you have let that happen, Miss Rose?! Why weren’t you tight with your discipline? One of my students would _never_ let a teammate go and do such insubordinate actions!”

Ruby floundered, as she seemed to be doing frequently under stress. Her uncle seemed to want to help, but she was useless under the pressure.

“She, I- She said that she _wouldn’t_! Jaune went off on her as well when he heard, and-“

The man’s face was rubbed, as his eyes closed.

“Well, he had a lick of sense, at least… Here in Atlas, we maintain a strict chain of command. Teammates that do not follow orders... What’s done is done. I can’t help it anymore, but still… we can _fight_. Salem hasn’t won yet, and Callows is still out there, working with Hill… We should have _never_ just accepted her word at face value. I should have _known_ that Jacques and Robyn might strike a bargain, I was stupid to think that they could be _trusted_.”

Winter seemed to be wanting to speak up, but the General didn’t speak up. The door opened and a man with graying hair at the temples and a set of glasses on his nose entered.

“JAMES IRONWOOD! Why for the love of the Brothers, did you arrest a legitimate electoral candidate? Camilla is on her way as well, we received the news that Jacques Schnee is under criminal investigation for colluding with a man we thought dead, and now _this!_ The man managed to garner support of 12 of the representative districts of Mantle, at _least_. Seventeen hundred signatures from the major businesses in the area! Are you _trying_ to create a revolution by arresting the poor guy on trumped-up charges?!”

The General groaned, and Weiss could see Nora and Ren shift a little, looking at the older man with rapt attention.

“No, Councilman Sleet, I have arrested him on suspicion of treason to Atlas… He has been… He has committed a murder in one of our secure facilities, and-“

The Councilman’s fist slammed down onto the table. The cup of coffee on the table nearly spilled, leaving the general to straighten it out, as the older man leaned over the desk.

“ _HOW_ can a NINETEEN YEAR OLD commit murder in one of OUR secure facilities? Why were we not informed of this? No, wait, don’t even _bother_. Specialist Schnee, under the authority granted by me as Councillor of the Kingdom of Atlas, I request information about the accusation of murder on Councilman-Election Candidate Jaune Arc. Do not fear reprisal from your commanding officer, as the Kingdom of Atlas is STILL his superior. Two seats on the Council might buy you _power_ , James, but we are not without the rules that govern us!”

Winter looked hesitant, as she flicked her gaze to the general, and Weiss cleared her throat. She would do what was right, giving an objective view of the situation. Jaune was not someone who did things without a reason, and after seeing Winter break down before… She’d speak up. Her sister might be loyal to the General, but she was Weiss Schnee and she would fulfil her duty to the kingdom that she came from. An objective view, without spoiling too much of the secrets.

“The woman was kept in a medical facility cell, isolated from human contact save for Specialist Schnee. She was kept alive and under strict guard and the General has been keeping a close eye on her status for the last five years or so due to the Semblance that is inheritable and her infirm body left to the care of Specialist Schnee, in order for Specialist Schnee to inherit the Semblance.”

_‘I’m sorry, Winter. This way, you’ll likely get away with a slap on the wrist… If you take the fall for this...’_

Weiss Schnee had _seen_ what blind trust in a headmaster could get you. Her sister was devastated with her speaking up, Leonardo Lionheart had been a traitor… and this went too far.

Jaune had his reasons for killing the old woman, be it mercy or merely to deny Cinder the prize that she had wished. The stakes were higher than this, and she would keep the façade up. Weiss Schnee did _not_ abandon her friends, like Blake Belladonna had.

The effect on her sister was a wide-eyed shocked expression, and Weiss continued to speak up.

“The old woman looked to be on the verge of death, unhealthy and pale when my sister brought me to see her. A woman known as Cinder Fall has been hunting down the inheritors of that Semblance in order to boost her own power. There is an arrest warrant out for her arrest in Mistral, and she was instrumental in the Fall of Beacon as well. It was…”

The Councilman turned to General Ironwood, who turned to Winter with an aghast look.

“You took your _sister_ to see Fria?”

Winter flinched visibly. Weiss knew that it had been a gross breach of military protocol, but it was the damning evidence that set the Councilman off.

“ _James_! JAMES IRONWOOD! This violates the Vytal Treaty and several _OTHER_ treaties as well! First, you arrest a man, who is _innocent_ until proven _guilty_ , a local _hero_ and _now_ I am hearing about illegal imprisonment and the amassing of a Semblance that is apparently inheritable by just about _anyone_?!”

The General turned away, and the door opened up, a dark-skinned woman entering with a thunderous look on her face, an official crest of Atlas emblazoned in a silver pin on her chest.

“I did what I _had_ to do, Councilman Sleet! You don’t know what’s out there, with the dangers we face! First Beacon fell, then Leonardo turned out to be a traitor to the plans we’d made, I did what I thought was _right_ for the Kingdom!”

The woman’s face paled, as the other councilman’s face turned to her.

“You’ve gone too far, James! I don’t know what has happened, but-“

The older male councilman looked at her and pulled out a small ring. A twist and something was connected, as the glow lit up the ring.

“Under the orders of the Council of Atlas, let it be stated that General James Ironwood loses the seat of Atlas Academy’s Headmaster. Councilman Sleet supports this motion. Do you support, Councilwoman Camilla?”

The woman looked at General Ironwood for a moment before she nodded.

“Councilwoman Camilla supports the motion. With General Ironwood’s vote and the position that is to be taken away, it is a two to one vote, as Councilman Schnee is not invested yet. So may it be recorded.”

The General’s eyes narrowed. There was a dangerous look in the man’s eyes, Weiss noticed, something that was frightening, rather than the persona that the man used before.

“Declaring Martial Law would be _unwise_ , General. Mantle might _secede_ if you do that, and where would we get our food from then? They are _THREATENING_ to _SECEDE_ , James! Your embargo, your constant avoidance of the issues, and now the arrest of a young man who seemed to be willing to aid an old woman into the night… Mercy killing is a fine, if it can be proven that the subject was suffering! It is a _duty_ for a huntsman!”

The man’s eyes flickered between the General and Winter, before his eyes went over the other members present. Ruby’s uncle looked a little uncomfortable, the man’s tongue sliding over his lips.

“No, this has gone _too_ far! Release Arc so we can at least KEEP Mantle and Atlas united! We’ll- We’ll make this work, even with Jacques Schnee unavailable for comment. We will need someone not attached to the military. It’s too much of a burden on one man, to manage a school AND the military. You cannot hold up Atlas on your shoulders, James!”

The General’s face wasn’t happy, as the two Council members decided between themselves in a quick debate, a Dust-based field up around the two, as they gesticulated before turning to Ruby’s uncle.

“Qrow Branwen, you are an accredited professor from the Signal Combat School, according to my overview. You will become the Atlas Academy Headmaster in the interim period with a half-vote on the council until elections have been made. If Headmaster Ozpin nominated you as his third successor, you will be able to balance out James his paranoia at least until a viable candidate can be selected. Atlas must _not_ fall to one man’s overly paranoid delusions!”

Weiss shivered, knowing the decision that had been made was influenced by the fear that General Ironwood would use one of his military soldiers to execute his will. Atlas was one of the Kingdoms where obedience to the order of succession was adhered to strictly, something that she had feared, but she could _not_ keep silent.

Too much was at stake, and she had learned the value of her friends.

“If… If you think I’m suitable… I’m still one of Jimmy’s friends, but-“

The councilwoman’s face wasn’t smiling, but serious.

“You will do as the council _wills_ , for the safety of the Kingdom, Mister Branwen. It will be temporary, until the guarantee can be given that General Ironwood is not going to assume power as our _king_. We remember the Great War and the folly of that war, Mister Branwen. If there was any other choice, we would have made it. We will need someone not aligned to the political interests of our Kingdom to steward those young enough to die for its protection.”

The man was cowed, and Weiss could see Qrow look at Oscar for a long moment, the young boy nodding once. She thought she saw his eyes flicker to a deep green colour for a moment, a shudder going through her.

“Now… Release mister Arc, James. Focus on protecting our Kingdom, and do not worry about the education of the students.”

The General’s morose look was like that, and the man sighed.

“Very well… Any charges against Mister Arc can be levelled once the election is over and he fails to be elected or steps down from the Council of Atlas. Have we managed to contact Jacques Schnee yet? The man has been awfully silent for the past few days even with the evidence of collusion with Arthur Watts now. I don’t like it.”

An image of her father speaking with Arthur Watts was put on the screen, the General’s eyes serious, yet with the look on his face, it was clearly something that he’d capitulated on. The words of the scientist, as the conversation cut out and the door opened, a manic laughter coming from the speaker, one that Weiss noticed immediately as familiar, Qrow seemed to recognize, if his angry look was an indication.

“Tyrian Callows was around Jacques Schnee… Given how you’ve been opposed to Jacques joining the council, James…”

The General looked stern-faced, clearly dismissing some pressing issues. With the Amity Coliseum taken out of the sky, there would be another solution needed, the man’s face inscrutable, as the man thought.

“A check-up must be made. Release Mister Arc, and let a tribunal judge him once he loses the election.”

The warning look on the two Councillors faces spoke volumes.

“You _cannot_ automatically assume that he will _lose_ the election, and I will _not_ hear of it! Atlas plays _FAIR_. Mantle selected him as their _representative_ , James! Jaune Arc, according to what my aides have told me, has an exemplary record for chivalry and doing the duties that nobody would wish to do without complaint for the people of Mantle. _You_ authorized his license yourself, James! Your duties as a Headmaster and a General have always interfered, and Atlas is _not_ your personal Kingdom to govern! You still have to adhere to the law!”

The General’s eyes were angry, but he motioned to Winter.

“Free Arc. I want him out of all sensitive military installations before Mantle decides that they’ve had enough. It is clear that the people of Mantle desire a representative that they deserve, rather than to know what Atlas does for them.”

The councilwoman’s face darkened.

“Listen to yourself, James! ‘desire a representative that they deserve, rather than to know what Atlas does for them?’ We are a _Kingdom_ , Mantle AND Atlas! Just because we are all born in Atlas does not mean that we should neglect those who live below us. We are _one_ Kingdom, of _two_ cities. A floating beacon of hope for those who live below!”

It was ideologically the same, as Weiss watched her sister leave for the cells, to spring Jaune free. She could see the bickering about to take place.

“I will join my sister in securing Mister Arc’s release. I will ensure that he will be released, rather than to be shunted into someplace and _shot_ for _'resisting'.”_

The General would be capable of doing that. The man was beside himself with anger, only restrained by the power of the other two Councilmen. The man’s paranoia was flaring up, and she joined her sister. The riots had quieted and there was now only the task to release Jaune Arc.

“Winter?”

Her sister continued, as she followed after the woman, walking from the Headmaster of Atlas Academy’s office towards the military wing. Her older sister’s eyes were dark, as she looked at Weiss for a moment, the elevator beeping once.

“The General… You supplied information to the Council, I-“

Weiss could see Winter’s doubt, and she felt it. Jaune had done a good thing. Winter would not be the Maiden, and she could see reason in it. It was motivated by love, love for her sister, for her…

“Someone had to do what is _right_ , Winter. Even _you_ have to admit that you were terrified. You spoke of having made peace with it when we went to visit Fria, but… But I saw someone _different_ , a week earlier. Someone who _wanted_ to be with a man, who _loved_ , because her heart had awoken to pleasant, scary feelings. I love you, Winter.”

It was a sibling love, and she knew that Winter was definitely listening. Winter’s eyes softened, as she sighed.

“He… He admitted it. He thought he was helping an old woman pass away, someone who might suffer the burden of being kept alive for too long, to relieve the General of stress… Did you… You didn’t tell anyone about the Winter Maiden, did you?”

She shook her head. Of course not. She knew the value of keeping something close to your chest. Yang knew what her mother and father had been like, but nobody else had, really. Their talk during the moment together was more than they’d ever talked, and they’d bonded, somewhat, she’d like to think.

“Of course not. Secrets are meant to be kept, not told… Blake, our… Our _Faunus_ , told Robyn Hill about the Amity Communications Tower.”

Winter’s eyes looked grave, as the woman flashed her Scroll at several of the soldiers, before they were being let through the checkpoint, Winter’s eyes dark.

“The General is a man who thinks for the best of Atlas, Weiss. Jaune is…”

Her sister’s eyes were filled with doubt. Weiss could see it, could feel it.

“He thought what he did was best. He-“

They rounded a corner and saw Marrow standing outside of a room marked with an I-1 plate, the man’s face easy, but his tail was lowered and tucked between his legs. Regarding the two of them, the weak smile that came to the man’s lips.

“Hi! Are you here to relieve us?”

_‘I don’t see an us…’_

Winter’s eyes widened, and she opened the door with haste. The isolation effect in the walls kept the sound from coming out, and the sound of something hitting flesh was audible.

“Say that again, you murderous bastard!”

A wry, dry laugh, as someone spat.

“I said ‘Do you train that smile for the media, or do you just practice it so you can hit on Marrow?’, Miss Bree.”

_‘Shit.’_

Winter entered with a quicker step, before Harriet Bree could deck Jaune again, Jaune’s bloodied face looking like it was under stress, his eye swollen a little.

“Under the orders of General Ironwood, you are to stand down, Harriet Bree. Jaune Arc is to be escorted from the facilities and out of Atlas Academy.”

_‘He’s not looking good…’_

There was blood dripping down his lips, his left eye swollen badly, with his gaze directed right at Winter. He wasn’t missing any teeth, luckily.

“This bastard killed the Maiden!”

Jaune didn’t comment, getting up and rolling his shoulders a little, the shackles behind his back still on, which Winter unlocked with her Scroll.

“You are assigned to latrine duty with Specialist Amin, Specialist Bree. Beating up a suspect is not how we do things in Atlas.”

Jaune looked stately in the armour as he strode to the exit, his face looking messy, walking after Winter, waiting for the elevator with the two of them without saying a word. Weiss worried that he might take it personally, but his eyes watched the two of them carefully, not moving an inch, until they were in the elevator, Marrow at his side.

“I’ll do my best, Winter. Mantle deserves someone to represent it who knows the people, who knows the things going on. I told you that I would keep you safe, and that is still important to me.”

Her sister’s face was stony, but the tears came from her eyes. Her sister wouldn’t stop crying, as she offered a tissue. There was a mood that hung heavily, like a leaden weight, on her back. Her older sister was emotional, difficult and with all their plans failing. The Amity Communication project was bombed because Blake informed someone who was at odds with General Ironwood…

“We are over, Jaune Arc. We’re done. I-“

She shuddered, and Weiss laid a hand on her sister’s side to support her. Her sister didn’t mean those words, she knew. Jaune was good, he was caring, and… and he was still the guy that she liked. Jaune’s hand touched hers, and she felt the warmth of his Aura go through her, before a shiver went through her whole body at a suddenly cool sensation, as the door opened, Jaune looking at her with a small smile.

“I’m always going to catch you when you fall, Winter. This place is so high that you sometimes forget the people who live on the ground… But I won’t let you hit the earth and be shattered.”

Her sister stepped out of the elevator and Marrow looked at her with questioning eyes, as Jaune moved along. Her sister leaned against a wall. She stood back, looking at Marrow for a moment.

“Can you escort him? My sister is…”

_‘You’re not taking this well, Winter.’_

Her sister was trembling and quivering, the soft sounds of a panic-induced sobbing coming from her lips, as she shuddered and shivered, obviously no longer able to keep her composure. Jaune looked worriedly at her and then reached out. Warmth blossomed around her and she turned to look at him.

“I never wanted to hurt you. Cinder nearly killed you with her assassin, and… And you two deserve someone better than just…. Just Jaune Arc. I’m sorry, Winter.”

Her sister didn’t respond, and he pulled away, his fingers pale, as she shuddered with the implications of the feelings that her sister felt. Her sister was regretting things, she was emotional and he was still making sure that she would be out of the firing line. By cutting ties with her, Winter would be safe. It was… it was terribly romantic, but terribly sad as well. The Amity Tower project might be scrapped… But they could still make a move. Salem wasn’t around, Cinder was here, as well as Arthur Watts…

As Jaune and Marrow disappeared, Weiss heard her sister’s deeper sigh.

“He _saved me_ , Weiss. He _saved_ me. He was… He was like a knight, keeping me from the big bad Grimm, and he did it all so that I wouldn’t… that… that I _wouldn’t…”_

Her sister’s head laid against the wall, as the woman braced herself, and she hugged her older sister from behind. It was an odd sight, but her sister needed it.

“He did what he thought was best and wants to help. You love him…”

_‘I love him.’_

This was terribly complicated. A bleeping of a Scroll, as she answered hers. Winter was just trying to come to terms, as General Ironwood’s face appeared in the call.

“Miss Schnee, your father…. Has been assassinated by Arthur Watts. His body was found by your younger brother.”

_‘No…’_

Whitley was better now… To find father’s dead body…

_‘This is just the worst day ever…’_

* * *

Jaune moved little in his seat on the transport down, as he watched Nora and Ren sit down next to him, his weapons and other pieces of equipment gathered within a single pack, the trip down to Mantle quiet, with only a few words from the Ace Ops Specialist that’d been sent to guard them down.

The revolver was a nice one, even if Dr. Watts had no further use for it. The ambush had succeeded, after all. He wasn’t some kind of hero from the storybooks, he wasn’t someone who could look in the mirror with the sins that weighed on his shoulders, but he was someone who loved. Love was the greatest motivator for all.

The murders he had committed were to remove threats from the board. Tyrian Callows, a murderous psychopath, causing chaos and pain for those. Jacques Schnee, beater of wives, harmer of his whole family. Fria, the Winter Maiden, someone who was innocent, but bore the curse of Cinder Fall’s attention.

The latter one he felt somewhat guilty about, since the old woman had been relatively innocent, in the grand scheme of things. He was resolute. Once he was elected to the Council of Atlas, he would institute change. He would make sure that the people of Atlas were safe, and, if he could manage it, he would make sure that Cinder Fall would be taken care of. If General Ironwood didn’t take his warnings seriously…

He stepped out of the craft, the sword on his back belonging to his family, his eyes adjusting to the lower light of Mantle, watching the people gathered. A crowd of many, familiar faces hopeful and desiring of someone who would protect them. The cloak of Nicholas Schnee he wore, as he stepped forward, face bruised and battered, the people spotting it immediately.

“I have been in the custody of General Ironwood and I have returned to you all. I stand battered, but not broken before you, Mantle!”

Words that had been in his mind, a mimicry of the speech that had been given near-on eighty years before. People _remembered_ the past. He looked into the crowd, as Nora stepped back. It was his time to show the people a leader they could trust.

“I am not worthy of your trust! I am not a man who knows much about the world, who knows how this world works in Mantle! I see the people of Mantle and my heart bleeds! You elected me and for that, I am grateful. I will be the one to push Mantle back into the light of the sun!”

The words were important for the people, he knew. They would pull hope from them, unity and the knowledge that he was but a nineteen-year-old man, unaware of many things.

“Councillor Arc!”

The cheer went up and carried, as the people watched him come closer. He wore the armour of Nicholas Schnee, the cloak of Nicholas Schnee, his eyes looking over the people gathered there with nothing to hide the emotions within his heart. He was aware of how it looked, as he joined the people of Mantle, Ren and Nora a few steps behind him.

_“A kingdom needs but one thing, Jaune. A King who can lead it with the loyalty of the people and the might to make sure that those who are below him in the order of things stay in line. I have personally signed the death warrant of millions, my child… If you ever were to enter that field, to be a general of some Kingdom… You will need to make hard choices. When you grow older and I am no longer within your life, you will need to be hard, decisive. For love… For freedom.”_

His great-grandmother’s words bounced around in his mind, aware of their importance. Out of all of his sisters, he’d been the one who had listened to great-grandmother’s tales of heroics and about the past. Mantle and Vale had been at war, yet Great-grandmother had loved his great-grandfather enough, or so he’d supposed. She was a cold woman, but her stories were great whenever she came around.

“We’re going back to Atlas, Jaune.”

_‘Go back to them…’_

They would do what they had to. It was time to ferret out Robyn Hill and her band of Happy Huntresses.

“I’ll see you later? I’ve got to take the kids to school, I… eh, yeah. I’d need to get a hotel first, or take Casey up on that offer. “

He knew that he’d have a space to sleep at for now, and he spotted the woman in the crowd.

“Thank you, people. I’m grateful for your support. Casey? Mind if I crash on your couch for tonight?”

It was the right thing to do. He showed humbleness to the people of Mantle. Luxury was wasted on him, he knew. The finest of homes would not be enough, but to show solidarity with the people of Mantle…. He genuinely cared for them.

It was an hour later that he got to Casey’s flat, opening the door and seeing her daughter sit there, looking worried.

“Mom!”

A small smile rested on his lips, as he ruffled the girl’s hair as she hugged her mother.

“I’ll take the couch.”

Casey nodded, before she got her daughter to bed, Jaune pulling loose the straps of his armour. Casey helped him get out of the armour, the woman’s hands rubbing over his back, the undershirt that he wore pushed aside.

“Thank you, Jaune. Without you…”

He nodded, as he got up, wearing only a thin set of pants below, and getting himself comfortable on the couch.

“I’ll bring the kids to school in the morning. I’ll wake up a little later, so you won’t hear my alarm buzz loudly. Sorry for the fuss.”

He was caught off-guard by the woman’s sudden kiss, as her arms wrapped around his neck and the kiss lasted for a short while, before she pulled away. Her cheeks were flushed and her short hair was a little messier than before, as she spoke quietly.

“You’re a man any woman would like to marry, Jaune. I’m… I’m grateful for you, because you avenged my friends.”

He had killed. Vengeance wasn’t a noble goal, but it was enough.

“Go to bed, Casey. It’ll be an early morning again tomorrow. I’ll get her to school safely, even if there isn’t an official mission for it assigned to me. Mantle needs me.”

Robyn Hill needed something too. Tyrian had hinted that the woman was complicit in their scheme… So it would have to be another moment when the heroics would fade for the benefit of the people of this Kingdom.

He heard the door close to Casey’s bedroom, and he thought about Winter, who undoubtedly would want nothing more to do with him. It was all for her, Weiss and Whitley and Willow…

_‘Sometimes, the kid gloves come off. Ruby would have settled for imprisonment… Sometimes, you need to drive a dagger into the heart of the beast to slay it…’_

He was no hero. He was no villain, truly… But he was a Huntsman. He was someone who would protect that which was dear to him, against anything.

_‘I hope that they don’t hate me…’_

* * *

**Things in this story will eventually get told. Find out how Jaune got elected as Mantle's representative in the next chapter! He would do whatever it takes to keep his friends safe, because Jaune Arc made a promise that nobody else would die.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like! I like to see people's reactions to my work.**


	14. It's a political party?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up on a couch, the prelude to election and an honest chat, with a nice cup of coffee and a nice hot meal afterwards!

**Well, he’s free now from the Ironwood Detention Centre.**

* * *

Slowly did consciousness come to him, as his alarm clock was about to go off next to him. It was that small sense of self that he had about himself that woke him up, the burden on his system shifting a little as he realized where he was, laying on the couch of Casey’s apartment, waking himself up.

Someone moved out of his personal space and he looked at the blonde woman herself, dressed in a muted beige sweater, her leggings absent and only a set of underwear adorning her lower body. It was a fair shade of orange-blue in a striped pattern, nothing that'd look too sexy.

“You looked cute sleeping there. I had to see whether I could sneak in a kiss for a single mom. Cute boy privilege, Casey approved.”

Jaune got up, rolling his shoulders to get the motion back into them, a low groaning sound coming from his lips as he felt the kinks in his back slowly announce their presence in flares of annoying pain. It wasn’t something that he’d like again, but… well, it was what it was.

“Nobody came and like, did bad things, did they?”

The woman shook her head, sitting down next to him. He was still bare-chested, her fingers tracing over his upper body with a slow motion.

“Everything’s safe and sound, no doubt due to the man of the house.”

He wasn’t the man of the house, but her eyes were more at ease than they had before. She wasn’t the most physically imposing woman, his arm wrapping around her and pulling her close. Her hands braced her body against him, a soft whisper coming from her lips.

“I’ll keep you safe.”

His mother and father had always said that they kept the family safe, and his sisters happened to believe that, even when they went out into the world to do their various careers. The woman’s head rested against his chest, as he remembered the face of Fria, set within a near-innocent look, unaware of the death that waited for her.

“I’m… I’m not the best guy to keep at your home though.”

He caused death. Pyrrha had died. He’d killed two people personally, one of whom was relatively innocent, the other definitely guilty. Nora and Ren had followed him into the darkness, even when he’d spoken of his plans to make sure that Winter or Weiss wouldn’t become a sacrifice to the powers of a Maiden.

“I don’t know…”

Casey looked up to him, her eyes glistening with those thoughts as her hand stroked over his muscular upper chest.

“ _Cute_ blonde guy, _strong_ … _Caring_. You know, we were drawing lots to see whether we could get a shot at getting some hot love going.”

That was a hot thought, but he knew that he wouldn’t be someone who’d cheat on a partner like that. He knew that the blood on his hands probably had sullied any and all relationships that he’d form, and he knew that it was all to keep them safe. Weiss and Winter would hate him, as would team RWBY.

_‘I can’t give up.’_

The people of Mantle needed him, and he would do what had to be done to keep the people safe. He would make sure that there would be _safety_ for the people of Mantle, rather than the fear of a Grimm speeding into the city once again.

“Hey, Jaune? Blondie…”

Casey’s fingers were brushing over his chin, where the stubble started already. He’d forgotten to shave again, and it was a day again.

“Want me to help you shave? A man needs a woman sometimes to help him do stuff.”

He got up, the woman left seating. She offered him a smile and he gave a soft ‘Sure’ in response, being led to the bathroom. The shaving cream was awkward, as he usually just used a straight razor, the feeling of the edge of the razor cutting through the growth of hair, the warmth of being in someone’s care, even if he was only dressed in a set of underpants, the woman’s soft humming in the air as she did.

“I used to do that for… for my father.”

He’d seen the picture. A teenage Casey hanging off a masculine man who bore scars on his upper arms from working in, smiling brighter than he’d seen her smile before, as he let his gaze peer into the mirror. It’d been a quick visit to the bathroom before he’d been arrested by General Ironwood, and he sighed.

“I’ve got to make sure that you’re all safe, that you can life in safety and happiness, Casey.”

His blue eyes peered into the reflection, the conflicted expression on his face as he remembered the conversation that he’d had with Nicta, before she’d handed him the diluted venom of Tyrian’s stinger. It would eat through the bottle otherwise, but for the old woman to die, it would likely have only required a few droplets.

“Now that’s a _man’s_ words, Jaune. A strong man who fights for his woman and his Kingdom. I’m glad that we could help, at least a little bit.”

It had been a surprising sight to see how many people had come out in support of him.

* * *

_“Guys… What’s… What’s this? They said 'a few friends they knew'.”_

_Ren and Nora were flanking him, watching how the mass of people gathered before the office of the people. He recognized several faces, others looking like they were people that knew others in the mass of around five-hundred or so people. For a large street, it was remarkably crowded, but people gave him some space, with his friends. Casey was talking to a tall man with a large moustache that curled into two long tufts like a walrus, noticing him and waving at him to get his attention._

_“Jaune! When I heard that you wanted to be up for election, since Hill had been colluding with one of Ironwood’s cronies, I got to some of my old friends. Mantle remembers Nicholas Schnee, Jaune. We will remember you!”_

_A cheer went up and he looked at the people that had come. It was easily a thousand, maybe two thousand or something, none of them really the lower strata of workers. He didn't see the telltale signs of being a miner on their bodies yet._

_“Mantle remembers the man who took the jobs that the Atlesians sneer at! If Hill can betray us by stealing the transports and using them for her own gain, then we can elect someone who does what nobody else does!”_

_Someone called out and the cheer came again, as he glanced at Nora and Ren. The two looked uncertain, masking it with a shifting, their faces carefully blank. The assassination of Jacques Schnee was planned for tonight, with the Winter Maiden too, if he could convince Winter._

_She was wavering already, hesitating about what she would do and what she should. It was something that he’d seen, the fear in her eyes, as she was caught between two camps. She wished to love, rather than to be locked away._

_“Councillor Arc!”_

_The office was mostly deserted this early in the morning, one of the clerks looking at him with eyes that were not very certain that he was here to do good, undoubtedly having heard the commotion outside. He watched the young man as he waited to be addressed._

_“What… What can the Mantle Bureaucratic Office do for you?”_

_He smiled and then laid the thousand Lien on the counter. It was the nominal fee for putting yourself up for election, back when the currency was worth more and hadn’t been deflated due to international trade._

_“I would like to run in the next Council election.”_

_The process was fairly uniform. He had to sign his full name and birthdate that he'd been registered at Beacon at because of the Fall, as well as providing a copy of his Atlesian Huntsman license to be officially archived before the process was completed. His team signed next to him, releasing him from the burden of being their teammate officially, though they continued to work together as ‘Jaune and team RN’._

_“So… Have you obtained a thousand votes required for entry?”_

_He smiled at the clerk and walked out to get those who put their faith in him._

_“They are requesting that those who vote for me present themselves. Let’s make Mantle great again.”_

_He watched them enter, the mood jovial, his weapon ready. Ren and Nora were already moving to his sides like bodyguards, his eyes scanning the crowd._

_“Thank you for keeping our children safe, Mister Arc.”_

_A woman in her mid-sixties, if he had to guess, shook his hand. He smiled at her, aware that it wouldn’t be good to lose the faith of the people. They needed a beacon of hope, something to believe in._

_“They’re the future of Mantle and Atlas, ma’am. Who would dare to think that they could hurt a child under my watch?”_

_It was something that not even the worst criminal could, instinctively. That drive had been born into everyone on Remnant, considering that children were so desperately needed for the species to continue._

_Nora and Ren would hold their ‘baby party’ and keep RWBY out of his hair, as well as Penny and Ozma’s host. Giving Nora one of Arthur Watts’ rings and having her customize it a little to look like a holographic betrothal ring was just something that he should have thought of earlier, if not for his own memory of the wedding rings of his parents. There was a short-range Dust-powered transmitter in the ring, so they could stay in contact at a distance._

_“Mister Arc, what is your stance on the broken wall?”_

_A squat man who looked portly, a pot-belly and a monocle on his left eye, asked, and he gave it some thought, letting his mind sift through the possibilities._

_“I’m going to see whether I can fix that wall, and make Atlas pay for it all. I will need to do an inspection to see what the state of the wall is, but rest assured that I will do everything in my power so the people will be safe. An Arc never breaks their word.”_

_The man nodded, his hat moving a little, the breastplate of Nicholas Schnee patted by a beak-like hand._

_“Good. If you need stuff fixed or a bit of info, the Penguin’s got what you need. Hill never asked for much… so the gentleman’s association of Mantle is withdrawing their support from the Happy Huntresses. Don’t make us dishonest men, Mister Arc.”_

_He wasn’t sure whether that was an unofficial endorsement from the man or not, as the man patted his chest plate a few times, before an understanding nod was given and the man got in line. The people in suits looked like they were moving with him, the man starting to talk in a squawking way, speaking of good times ahead for Mantle._

_“We’re putting trust in you, kid.”_

_An old man said, a cane used to move, a young man at his side. Jaune smiled a little._

_“My great-grandmother came from Mantle, sir. This is my way of doing something back for the city that she claims to have loved.”_

_The man’s eyes looked at him with a questioning look, his attendant, probably a grandson or something, giving an apologetic look._

_“Her name isn't worth much, but she fought for Mantle and bled for it. Determination, strength and an iron will."_

_The man nodded, patting his grandson's hip and growling something about that being the core values of what a man should be like._

_He wasn’t meeting any of those standards, the young man giving him an apologetic smile, clearly trying to humour his grandfather, the man shuffling along. Nora and Ren started to talk about how they were going to hold the party, aware that the special present was already prepared._

_He’d tried to mend fences, but Blake had proven to be a hindrance. Traitors to the people that he loved could not be trusted. Ideology… It would always win over the loyalty between friends. He had been trying to be open about his plans for making sure that no more Schnee would die, but Blake had ruined it by telling someone they could not trust about the Amity Communication Tower._

_They would never see him as a friend after tonight, but he did what he had to._

_Nora and Ren supported him until the end, even if he faltered._

_Pyrrha would be happy in the afterlife, if she knew that he had prevented another person that he loved from dying to Cinder Fall._

* * *

“I really didn’t expect that, you know? When I said that I was going to run, I expected maybe… 10, possibly 20 people, not… this whole... I got the required amount, with some to spare.”

He’d been surprised by the people, but he had not complained. Casey’s fingers brushed over the smooth skin, the woman standing at his side as she brushed the towel over his body, before she smacked his butt affectionately, or so he thought.

“Get yourself washed, _Councilor_ Arc. I’ll get her ready, whilst you shower.”

He had to protect the children. He had to protect Mantle. The people of Mantle would not like him for what he had done, but he had done what he needed to do in order to _win._

“How could you even like someone like me, Casey?”

She turned, as he pulled his underwear down. Shyness had been the first thing to be banished when you travelled with Nora and Ren, though Ruby always chose the time to change clothing when she could be alone. It was one of her things, and they hadn’t complained.

“Because you’re a man who does everything out of a desire to save people, Jaune. That’s why, no matter what you do, I’ll like you. You killed people, but you did it for the _right_ reasons. Women like that in a man, you know?”

He didn’t think they did. Casey’s eyes were questioning as he turned around after getting in the shower.

“Do you want your egg sunny-side up? I’ve got to feed my hunky house-guest, don’t I?”

He laughed softly, as he turned on the water, the cold water heating up slowly. Luxury wasn’t something that they had in Mantle, but he let it wash him clean.

“Yes please, could you help me with my armour after breakfast?”

She made a soft sound of assent and he focused on other thoughts, aware that he would get an official missive soon enough to declare his candidacy. The death he had wreaked would be enough. With Jacques Schnee out of the way, it would only be him and several others at the electoral stage.

* * *

Weiss woke up, aware of the silence that had fallen in the room. She got out of bed, shivering a little in the coolness of the room, her feet feeling freezing cold, though that might just be due to the heating of the room being turned down to aid in their sleep. She grabbed her Scroll from her bag, checking it for a moment.

_‘You hurt my sister, Jaune Arc… but I can understand why you did what you did.’_

Cinder Fall was being underestimated by the general. The man was the supreme military authority and did not hold only one seat on the council, but two. The man’s power had been curbed by the Council last night, but the man had still looked like he was ready to kill someone. Was that really the effect of power? Would Winter turn the same, if she were thrust in a position of power?

_‘I’d better… Let’s see what time it is.’_

Her Scroll told her that it was sixteen minutes past five, early in the morning. She pressed the button, watching as the connection came. It was not a good thing to do right now, she knew, but she hoped…

“Weiss?”

A soft whispered voice, and her mother’s face appeared in the camera, tired-looking and weary. Mother was in her bedroom, and Weiss could see that Whitley was in bed with her, undoubtedly to search comfort.

“Is… Is Whitley okay?”

The woman looked at her with deep, melancholic eyes, before she turned the camera down to show a sleeping Whitley, curled up against the woman’s body, a child that simply wished that he’d be safe from the big bad world due to the things he’d seen.

“He’s asleep, but… Weiss? What happened to Jaune Arc?”

Her mother would ask about the young man who’d escorted her daughters, Weiss her eyes turning away. Jaune was a _problem_. She liked him, she liked him a damn lot, but he had done things she didn’t fully agree with. He should not have to stain his hands with blood, but she agreed with it. Her sister should not be the Maiden.

“He was arrested. He… He killed someone, an old woman who was- Whose Semblance Winter was being told to inherit.”

It was a curse, one that got people killed. She wouldn’t ever want to become a Maiden, because it would not make her happy in life. Seeing the stress Winter had been under, she wished that she’d just be some regular girl, loving her blonde knight and making him happy.

“He promised me that he’d keep you safe. Both of you. He…”

Her mother’s eyes were dark, as her fingers brushed through Whitley’s hair, her hair loose. A resolute look came to her mother’s eyes.

“He will get the Schnee Dust Company’s legal team to represent him if it comes to a trial. It is the least I can do. This violates the Vytal treaty on human dignity.”

Weiss sighed, her mother’s eyes darker. That would be one hell of a legal team leading the defence. Father had gotten away with near-slavery with the assistance of that team, so it was likely that they would be able to get the blonde off with a very light sentence.

“He’s… he’s running for election to the council, like Father did.”

Her mother’s smile was bitter, as her mother’s tongue slid over her lips. The look in the woman’s eyes was something that didn’t change greatly, but there was an acceptance in those eyes.

“He will have a room in the Mansion set aside for him if he needs a place in Atlas to stay at. The Schnee Dust Company is _grateful_ to someone who helped unite the family once more.”

_‘Father is dead, mother… But-‘_

Her mother’s eyes looked into her own, as the small smile on her lips broadened a little into a fully-blown, happy smile.

“Your father is _dead_ , Weiss. Come and live at home again. I don’t… I don’t want to be without my daughters. Your friends... if you want them, they will be _welcome_ in the house.”

The question in her mother’s voice was real, and Weiss knew that it was right to do that. Being in Atlas Academy was nice, but… without _father_ there, it would be… it would be better.

“I will call your sister. Ironwood will be stubborn, but I can still influence the world. I am _still_ Willow _Schnee_.”

Her mother’s eyes were determined, full of more life than they’d been before, and the woman’s expression was more like the mother that she remembered from her youth, a warm and yet stubborn woman.

“And I will see to it that Jaune Arc gets a seat on Atlas’ Council. My daughters deserve a Councilman at the _least_.”

The hot thought of sharing Jaune with her sister rose again, the nipples hardening a little at the thought, her eyes closing for a moment as her breathing sped up. She’d just be able to imagine it, coming to the Councilman’s office without her underwear, draping herself over his desk and asking for a special e-dick-t.

“Hmm, he’s already so sexy.”

She’d said that aloud and her mother’s soft laughter was muted due to her trying to keep Whitley asleep, her younger brother looking so peaceful for the moment. She remembered how nervous he had been when he’d come back and asked in a trembling voice whether father had hit mother.

“My, he might just be going for a full house of Schnee’s. Should I get wedding dresses prepared for you two?”

She saw her mother smile, knowing that mother was just making a joke, mother’s own wedding dress kept in a good state, hung in her closet. She’d seen it before a few times, but the thought of wearing bridal white was something that spurred on more _spicy_ thoughts within her.

A little wedding ceremony with her sister and her in white dresses, before they’d take him home to the Master bedroom, where her father had carved out his personal fiefdom, before crawling onto the bed and showing him that they had been bare below the dress, their pussies leaking with need. He would take his wives then.

_‘Hmm… That’d be nice. A big honeymoon period, the two of us unable to move.’_

It wasn’t _wrong_ for her to want to be close to someone, but Winter was still first-in-line if it came to getting the question popped. Winter was there first and she could hope to be the second one in line.

“You were thinking about him, weren’t you? He’s a big man, more than capable of handling a slight Schnee…”

She knew that. Her mother wasn’t the tallest, but she was still their mom. Jaune was taller, and she’d fit like a glove around that hard cock of his.

“Hmmm, he’s so big, so hard… I really liked it. It hurt a bit at first, but he’s… Hmm…”

Her mother’s face showed amusement, and she realized that she was telling her mother about her sexual experience with a young man. Mother, who had slept with Ruby’s uncle.

“Did… Did the Huntsman who… who did that with you, does he know?”

The older woman shook her head slowly, a look in her eyes.

“Don’t tell anyone, Weiss. I’d… I’d like to try to approach him myself. See…”

Her mother’s sigh was deep, as she looked down at her son, Willow Schnee’s expression softened, as she looked up again.

“See whether I can make him _commit_. A man for the family. Father would have liked him. He was always thinking about how Mantle could be served best. Weiss, I may have been drunk, but he was _gentle_.”

It was icky to think of her mother having sex, but she could understand that yearning, that craving. The feeling of being with someone.

“Yes, he was gentle with me too. Jaune was… he just held me and told me that it would be-“

She rubbed her thighs together, and she could see her mother shift a little. She heard Yang shift a little, getting out of bed and stumbling towards the bathroom, undoubtedly for an early-morning bathroom break.

“He’s a good man. I _want_ him in the family, Weiss.”

It was honesty from her mother. Weiss could see how her mother might think about it, aware of her mother’s pregnancy and that her mother was now single once more after the murder of her father.

_‘You’re a good man, even if you’ve done bad things…’_

She shut the call down, noticing Yang come back from the bathroom, looking at her with tired eyes as she tucked her Scroll under her pillow. Yang looked at the dorm bed that belonged to Blake, Weiss watching the tears come from her eyes.

“Can I sleep with you for a bit?”

The tired and weary sound of Yang’s voice was there, the purplish eyes gazing into her own with that hopeless expression making her feel warmth, the nightshirt with Atlas Academy’s emblem on it enough, as she scooted back a little.

“Sure, hop in.”

She wasn’t going to deny someone comfort, Yang’s crying having only lasted until she’d finally fallen asleep. Blake’s betrayal had hit Yang especially hard, even with how the Faunus had just distanced herself from them again. It was what Blake did, and it hit Yang hard.

“I just don’t _understand_ … Why would she turn her back on us, all for a _woman_?”

Yang asked, as the good arm wrapped around her, the stump of her other arm brushing against Weiss her side. It wasn’t a question that Weiss felt that she could answer honestly, as some questions had been already answered with Blake’s departure.

“Because she runs away when she’s under pressure, Yang. Humans don’t do as they should, it’s… It’s from the Faunus Rights Revolution. She’s… She’s fighting for the rights of the oppressed, in _her_ eyes.”

Yang made a soft sound in the back of her throat, something that was like a pained and scared whimper.

“She left me _again_ , Weiss. She left me again and this time, she wasn’t going to be coming back. She wants to help, I know that she does, and we… we were close. I kissed her a few times, and we held hands. She’s…”

The deep sigh from Yang was more heartbroken than anything, and Weiss tried her best to assuage the fears of the other young woman.

“It’s _her_ decision to do this, Yang. She’s not someone who would turn her back on us… She’s-“

Yang turned to her and she could see the purple eyes look into her own. There was pain in their eyes.

“What if she leaves us again, huh? She left to go to her parents' house, parents we didn’t even _know_ about. If you’d said that she was an orphan, I’d _believe_ it, but- But they are so _nice_. How could they even have raised such a- such a _bitch_?”

Hard words, and Weiss took a deep breath as she tried to come up with an answer. The rhetoric of Blake revolved around her species, oppressed by humanity apparently, but was it really the case? Were Faunus off any worse than most employees under her Father’s stewardship of the Schnee Dust Company?

“I don’t know, Yang. I’m… By the gods, I’ve been with _Jaune_. I’ve slept with my sister’s ex, and I’ve- I’ve had _fun_ with him. He’s- He’s going to stand by me, even if it kills him.”

He wouldn’t let her fall. He had said that he would keep them safe, he’d promised her mother that he would do so, and his armour was her grandfather’s armour, the cloak that he wore was her grandfather’s and…

“Do you think he was… right?”

Did she think that? Maybe. She thought that he was a man she would like to marry. She thought that he was a man who would be worthy for her older sister, even with the crimes that he had committed. He had murdered a defenceless old woman, a Maiden, in order to deny Cinder the powers of the Winter Maiden.

“About?”

Yang’s eyes closed, as her breathing stopped for an instant, before Yang’s eyes opened again and she exhaled.

“Blake, her… her being _responsible_. I know that she’s not, but- but what if- What if Amity crashed down because Robyn Hill told Salem? What if Blake, because she thinks people are oppressed, just…”

The doubts within her own heart came to the forefront as well, as she tried to imagine it. Those first few weeks of the first semester at Beacon had shown her that Blake Belladonna was a Faunus that was worthy of her trust, but her obsession with the White Fang and the Faunus oppression was manic, and worrisome.

Blake did not look before she leapt, and she wasn’t going to be safe if she was hunting down Hill to get answers.

“A-and… And I just keep seeing his _face_ , looking at me, accusing me. Why did _I_ die, whilst you could have Blake? What does she see in _you_?”

Yang trembled a little, as the arm pulled Weiss closer. Weiss was sure that she might get a back ache, but Yang pushed herself closer.

“I just keep seeing those mismatched eyes, knowing that he’s trying to kill me, that he’s going to kill and hurt Blake, but I’m just fighting, and we grab Gambol Shroud’s broken parts and, and he just _stops_ and-“

She hadn’t gotten the details of the fight clearly, Yang nor Blake talking much about it other than an ‘We met Adam and he’s dead’, but to hear it from Yang’s mouth like this. She could only brush her fingers through the blonde’s hair, as her modest chest found the blonde nuzzling against it. A small part of her mind noticed that her shirt was getting wet.

 _‘You poor thing._ ’

She couldn’t help but curse Blake out for not telling them about a problem that might happen, as Yang just kept on crying, the blonde’s body pressed against herself, as the morning’s time crept along.

“You did all you could. Blake is… She’ll come b-“

A bitter, pained laugh, as Yang’s head rose and red eyes stared at her.

“It’s like I’m dating my _mother_ , Weiss. Always distant, never a clear answer. Consequences? Blake Belladonna _never_ faced them. I lost an arm, and what did _she_ do? She _ran_. It was only coincidence that brought Blake and the Faunus to Haven, if we’d never met, would she have come back?”

_‘Not likely…’_

Blake Belladonna lived for the Faunus cause, and there was nothing secondary to that. Weiss had seen fanaticism in the eyes of the White Fang, those who wished nothing more than to spill Schnee blood.

“You… You _know_ , Weiss. She’d run away again. She’d run away and _leave_ me. Just like mom. She ran away and left, and now- Gods, I don’t even know anymore. I felt angry at Jaune for throttling her like that, but now she does me like that. Running away to another woman, this is the _worst_ …”

Weiss didn’t know whether Robyn Hill preferred the fairer sex or not, but she would not discount the possibility. The Happy Huntresses looked like they weren’t too fond of Atlas people.

“I’m not going to run away from Ruby, Yang. You’re still my friend and you’re my partner’s big sister.”

Yang gave a soft laugh, as the eyes slowly turned back to purple in the light. With how the light of the small lamp in the room fell onto Yang’s features, it wasn’t hard to see that Yang was thinking about something.

“Good. You’re… Thank you for being my sister’s partner, Weiss. I’m going to see whether I can get Blake… If- I will _not_ let you be harmed because of Blake’s _stupid_ ideas, Weiss. What Jaune said, about that woman- He’s worked with Mantle, he’s known the citizens and- I’m not letting you get into a situation like that, or my little sis. We’re a family.”

The older sister to her partner stated with conviction and Weiss allowed herself a small smile. She didn’t think Blake would, but… But she’d been _wrong_ before.

“Blake’s… You know the girl, Ilia? The one with the freckles and eh, a lack of the front and back department?”

She recalled the face. She’d thought that the girl was a boy once, with the flatness of her chest. She didn’t _judge_ of course, but a guy should be a _guy_ , not… yeah, _that_. There was just something wrong about a girl being flatter than she was in the curve department.

“She… I thought it was stupid, that she was just _jealous_ , but- But before we left for Argus, she said that she didn’t think Blake deserved a human like me as a partner.”

_‘Faunus-human couplings don’t really happen…’_

She couldn’t remember any time when it hadn’t ended in tears or a divorce. There were differences between the species, holdovers from the Faunus Revolution, if she’d remembered her lessons well. Faunus married Faunus, and humans married humans.

“And- and I dismissed it as just jealousy, but-“

There was a hesitant look in Yang’s eyes, as Weiss saw the blonde teenager’s face turn darker.

“She _never_ saw us as her teammates, Weiss. I’ve-“

Yang sighed, lowering her head and laying it against Weiss her chest again.

“I’ve kept on playing her words through my mind. Humans don’t do as they should. As they _should_ , Weiss, like we’re _pets_ to them, like they are superior to us. You can’t tell me that Blake doesn’t act at times as if she’s better than us.”

Blake did act like that sometimes. Aloof and distant, without even considering things, taking up the cause for the White Fang’s crimes. Her father had reformed the White Fang, to be an effort to unite humanity and the Faunus. Her father was a man who spoke seriously and well-thought-through words in a clear and understandable way. Her mother was warm and friendly, but Blake hadn’t really wanted to hang around her parents.

“Her parents are so _different._ Kali was nice, she… she said that she liked my hair. She didn’t mind me being a Schnee, neither of them did. They were just happy for me being her friend, and- And they said that we were always welcome to their home in Menagerie.”

She’d liked that. It had been warmer than her own mother, before. She wanted to connect to her mother again, she’d liked the warmth of the Faunus woman and her concern. It was pure and without moral judgment, simply because she was a friend of her daughter’s.

“She’s nice, alright. She told me about Blake when she was young, to Blake’s embarrassment. Blake left, but it was- It was everything I’d expect from a mother and- and Blake was trying, she was trying so hard to make me feel safe, but I didn’t _need_ that, I didn’t _want_ that, I just-“

The look on Yang’s face was there, as the blonde sighed.

“I don’t want to be like dad when she finally leaves me. I- I don’t know anymore. I thought I liked boys, but then I met Blake. I- I think I love her, but-“

Weiss knew that feeling. She’d disliked Jaune Arc up until the middle of the second semester, after which she’d let go of the prejudices and seen how he interacted. That he’d saved her life earlier this year was something that she could not forget. She couldn’t forget how they’d made love, how they’d had fun. She’d been a little slut, a trampy little bitch who wanted him.

“I slept with Jaune. He’s… He’s a good guy. He’d- Yang, understand that I’m not trying to say that he’s better than your sister, but he’s had a plan, and if not for Blake, he’d-“

Yang looked sad for a moment, before she sighed, Yang’s chin resting on her breast.

“She was the one who couldn’t be trusted. Not telling Ironwood about the Relic and the thing with Salem… I’m- I don’t think… Fool me once, shame on me… fool me twice-“

It was a deep-seated doubt, Weiss could see it. Working with an unknown, like Jaune had said, was _dangerous_. Yang’s mom had worked together with Cinder Fall, which proved that there could be no trust for those not in the know.

“Hey, we’re still team RWY. We can make do without Blake, if it comes to that.”

Yang smiled at her and closed her eyes, a softly murmured “Good night, Weiss.”- responded to with an affirmative sound.

Weiss would wake up with her head between Yang’s breasts, the bustier girl’s sleeping face looking almost innocent in the morning light when the alarm clock finally went.

It was time for a new day.

* * *

Jaune walked through the lower section of Mantle, the slow crunch of his sabatons on the street loud, as the people waved at him and smiled, aware of who he was, what he represented. Hushed comments of ‘Councilor Arc’ and ‘He’s fighting for Mantle’ were uttered amongst the people, as he watched the stream of people around him, his eyes not taken off the road signs, following the carnage-marks of the Grimm that’d been pushed into the city due to the Election. Robyn Hill’s election hadn’t been bloodless, the hole in the wall still there.

_‘I will make sure that Mantle is a safe place for your daughter to grow up in, Casey.’_

He was sure that she would not mind if he made it an immediate thing. The Winter Maiden’s power rested not within Winter Schnee and that was the goal all along. Arthur Watts would be sacrificed for the political gain that it could bring him and the video with the death of Tyrian Callows was already being edited. It would show that he cared for Mantle, something that he truly did.

Winter would not understand, of course. She wouldn’t understand the choices that he had to make. The General never looked at the people of Mantle as if they were capable of being something that just made a difference, his heads in the clouds.

“Jaune!”

He caught sight of team FNKI, standing guard at the wall. He cracked a smile, watching the large hole within the wall, trampled and crunched, his eyes looking at the ragged marring of the wall, pulling out his Scroll.

_‘When you want to get people on your side…’_

A picture of the part where the wall stood and where it crumbled, with another of the area before the wall, the reinforced concrete and steel construction that made it up still solid in other parts of the city of Mantle.

“What brings you out here? There was this _huge_ hubbub at the Academy, so I was just like ‘that guy’s name is called too damn often, and then there was this whole arrest warrant that went out and-“

Neon was talking a mile a minute, as his eyes looked at the hole in the wall, the citizens of Mantle that gave it a cautious look.

“Just inspecting the wall. I’m running for Councilor of Atlas, so… I better inspect the issues that the people of Mantle have, don’t I?”

Neon smiled brightly, as she started to talk about how Mantle was great, that she’d lived there before she’d gone to Atlas Academy, speaking about her younger sister and her aunt who’d raised her.

“I’ll make sure that the city is left standing when I’m councillor, Neon. I’ll do my best, for the entire Kingdom of Atlas.”

He wasn’t a councillor yet, but he knew that it would be only a matter of time, if he addressed their issues. The people needed a leader, a strong leader who could stand with his back straight.

_“They flock to one who shows strength. Nicolai was a fool, but he did hold the public’s appeal. A shame…”_

“I’ll vote for you! FLYNT! We’re voting for Jaune in the next election or otherwise, you’re on the couch for the period in-between elections!”

The team leader sighed and seemed to want to say something about that, but relented, the cat Faunus giving him a wink.

“He’s a regular ol’ pussy when you deny him yours, heh. I hope you get the seat! We don’t need some crazy traitor bitch like Hill doing what she did. She was still an Atlas Academy graduate, but she’s been up to dodgy stuff!”

He knew that, as he smiled, Neon getting back to her team, as he looked at the perimeter around the breach. It was a space that easily would be seen as a weakness in the defences, and it would require some negotiation… Or a bit of clever politicking. He heard the beep from his Scroll about a message, and he opened it up.

**To: J. Arc.  
From: The Council of Atlas  
Re: Election candidacy**

**By the authority vested in us, we recognize your candidacy for the Council of Atlas. Congratulations on achieving the support of several districts of the lower Mantle part of the Kingdom.**

**We look forward to the election.**

The signatures of the two Councilors stood below it as well as General Ironwood’s, and he noticed the official seal of Atlas, the message obviously having been ran through a template, because there would be little chance of James Ironwood voluntarily signing it off to congratulate him with his candidacy.

_‘Very well… Now that I’m here…’_

“Excuse me, sir? Could you tell me if this is the only breach in the defensive wall of Atlas?”

The soldier looked a little bored, dismissive of him, unaware of who he was talking to, most likely.

“Yeah, it’s been stalled due to General Ironwood’s requisitioning of the resources. Don’t ask me why.”

He smiled and nodded, giving a brief thanks. He checked the time, noticing that it was nearly twelve in the afternoon. It would be lunchtime soon, and he’d better make a few more visits. The wall didn’t make him feel comfortable, as he clicked the Scroll’s off button. He’d get lunch and then worry about the next step to take.

He was aware of the shadow that followed him, the one woman who fell into step behind him. He let her follow him, aware that his motions were being tracked, and he turned the corner into one of the busiest streets, the people looking at him with expectant eyes, his smile broadening, as his follower stuck to the street where she’d been in.

_‘What are you planning, Blake…’_

She was not as sneaky as she’d like to pretend. Dark colours in Mantle were ordinary, but bright white? A set of cat ears? Rarer than you’d think. Blake might blend into crowds in other places, but here she stood out like a sore thumb, even with the cloak that she wore.

_‘You’re here for a reason…’_

He entered a diner, one where he’d been before once, greeting the Faunus waitress and asking for a table, his eyes gazing at the menu. Talk sprang up about the armour that he wore, the miners that sat on one of the tables pointing at him, and his name was uttered a few times. It was three hours and twenty minutes until he had to pick the children up again.

There had been a new Huntsman, someone fresh from the Academy if he’d had any sight of it, obviously saddled with the job of shepherding the children. The children obeyed, but they didn’t respond to the young man who’d been sent, rather questioning him on why he was here.

He’d taken over, as he should, tapping the other Huntsman on the shoulder with an ‘I’ll handle it’ and then doing as he had always done. The children obeyed without any complaint, moving through the motions as with every day. The Huntsman had thanked him, mumbling something about not needing to pay a debt if another guy was doing it.

He didn’t mind, himself. The children came first, and Mantle was a city in need. A city that needed a protector, someone that would bring it into the light, from the darkness cast by the city floating overhead.

“I’d like some steak and potatoes, please. Got to keep my energy up… and I’d like a glass of soda, and one filled with milk. I’m expecting company.”

Blake would come, undoubtedly, and if it wasn’t the case… well, it was a glass of milk, you drank it. Ruby liked it, so he’d need a bit of extra growth in his bones too.

She sat down in the seat opposite of him, her golden eyes dark, as her eyes narrowed, the pin that’d been pinned onto her outfit on her right breast something new. The bird image looked a little different, and the button was a little larger, but it was something that he couldn’t deny.

“You turned the people against a _hero.”_

It was not exactly his opinion that Robyn Hill was a _hero_ , perhaps more an _assistant_ of sorts with her enforcers there to exert pressure. Public relations was a thing, and someone’s hero could be another’s villain, that was how things worked in the world.

“I didn’t think you’d leave your team, Blake.”

That Blake was here and not with Yang could only mean one thing: She’d decided to turn from Ruby’s leadership to fight for the _oppressed_ people of Mantle. He felt disdain well up inside him, as he let his gaze wander through the diner. The waitress was filing the claws on her fingers, talking excitedly with a female miner, giving him looks.

“They don’t know what sacrifice is. The people of Mantle are oppressed and they need someone like Robyn Hill to represent them.”

It was rhetoric that was understandable, as he cut into his steak, looking at her. The bird-shaped button on Blake’s outfit was a clear sign of allegiances, something that he’d already expected. The moment that he’d heard that Blake had told Robyn Hill, she had been cut off from the trust that he had. You could _not_ trust a traitor. Leonardo Lionheart had paid for things with his life.

“Do you really believe that, Blake?”

There was a firm nod, and Jaune’s head bobbed once in understanding, aware that Blake believed it. It was regrettable to see, but Blake had chosen her final decision, something that he couldn’t change, and would not change. She was an opinionated girl, and he knew that he could not trust her with the plan.

The people of Mantle and Atlas deserved something to inspire them, to drag them from the shadow and into the light. James Ironwood restricted the opportunities for the people of Mantle by imposing an embargo, so it would stand to reason that there would need to be a countering force.

“Work _together_ with her, Jaune. She’s told me the truth, and her Semblance doesn’t lie. She knows when you are lying.”

_‘A pity that you are lying to yourself, Blake.’_

He would keep the people of Mantle _safe_. He would keep…

Winter’s face came to his eyes, Willow’s next after that, Weiss as the last. He’d keep them safe too, even if he had to die a thousand times. Cinder Fall would not be allowed to lay a hand on them.

“I wish you good luck. If Robyn Hill wants to challenge me in the election, she is free to do so. The people of Mantle have a chance, and I will make sure that Mantle and Atlas see _peace_.”

It was all for a just cause. His family had been full of heroes and he would join them. His father and mother loved each other very much and they were not always at home, but they made sure that they all knew that they were their beloved children.

_‘No matter… If one of my sisters becomes a Maiden, they would keep her safe. I can trust them.’_

“You’re a fool. What can one man do to ensure that we have our rights? You would oppress the Faunus, at least Hill is planning on giving us equal rights! All will be free to walk in the sun again! She’s got a Faunus member in her Happy Huntresses.”

_‘So does- well, so did Cinder. Tyrian Callows is dead, and you don’t know that yet, Blake. I had planned to tell you, and his head is stored in your team's fridge…’_

He ate his steak slowly, Blake starting to fidget a little, as he laid down his knife and fork, watching her calmly.

“If she wins, she wins. She worked together with a known criminal, I’ve heard.”

Blake shook her head, obviously full of the rhetoric of the Hill woman’s smooth words.

“No! She was going to show me her sponsor, and-“

The click of a weapon at his head was loud, as he was aware of someone standing at his side, a crossbow loaded and aimed at his head. He didn’t see anyone respond to that, the dark blueish hair looking fashionable in the braid that the woman had it in.

“Come with us quietly, Arc. No need to cause a fuss, Robyn Hill wants to talk about your plans for Mantle.”

_‘So you were a distraction…’_

He glanced at the miners, whose eyes didn’t seem to see him and his guess, the tall Huntress looking like she meant business.

“Mind if I get another cup of coffee?”

The crossbow clicked a little and he motioned for the Faunus waitress, the Huntress behind him having to move out of the path a little.

“Could I get a cup of coffee, please? Nice and hot. Busy day today as I'm out in the cold.”

Blake looked questioningly, and he watched the Faunus waitress move away, before he got up.

“I’ve got to pay for it first, ladies. A good man doesn’t leave an unpaid bill behind.”

There was a growl from the Happy Huntress behind him, as he laid his fork and knife on the plate, before he walked over to the counter to pay. The cup of coffee was set in front of him, Blake on his left, and the Huntress behind him.

“That’ll be twenty Lien, Mister Arc. I hope you win. We’ve been needing a fresh breath of air in these here parts… A good-looking stud like you, heh… A little better than Ol’ Stony Sleet, I’ll say.”

He laid thirty Lien on the counter, sliding the chips to her. He left his wallet on the counter, smiling at the waitress.

“Take it as a tip. The steak was great.”

He picked up the coffee cup, still steaming, before he raised it to his mouth, checking the reflection in the mirror for the Happy Huntress her position at his side, and then flicked it over his shoulder, straight in the face of the Happy Huntress, before he spun around and grabbed the woman by the braid for a solid grip, driving her head against the counter with a crunching sound, the Crossbow-staff-weapon dropped from the woman’s hands, as he raised the head up once more before planting it into the wood again, the splinters around the head, but nothing he cared too much about.

“Tell Robyn Hill that I don’t _like_ being abducted _or_ assassinated. Jaune Arc fights _fair_ in this election, contrary to a thief who steals from Mantle once she loses an election!”

He let go of the woman, who sagged to lay against the counter, stunned or unconscious, he didn’t really care much about that, looking at Blake.

“Tell her that she’ll face me fair and square, or to send a better killer if she’s intending to be the only one standing. Her ‘ _friend’_ , Doctor Watts undoubtedly would have to make it look like an ‘accident’, Blake…”

He grabbed Blake by the arm and then flung her towards the other end of the Diner, his hand plucking the wallet from the counter again and putting another fifty Lien on the counter.

“Sorry for the damages. I hope this helps a little.”

He’d not really spent much of the Lien he’d gotten from guarding the children to school, so fifty Lien wasn’t a huge sacrifice. The Waitress took the Lien wordlessly before she nodded, looking at him with an understanding expression.

“We’ll squeeze some money out of Miss Happy here… Seriously, if you didn’t have my vote before, you _certainly_ have it now. Disgraceful stuff like this… I remember when Atlas was a kingdom of integrity, and I’m only thirty-three!”

He exited into the Mantlean street once more, taking a deep breath and looking at the heavens, at Atlas that floated above. He had to retrieve the children. He hoped that Nora and Ren had done their part.

The plan was coming together.

* * *

He stood at the supermarket three hours later, carrying three grocery bags in his arms, Casey starting to take a few more bits and bobs, her daughter staying at a friend’s house due to something with a sleepover, she’d assured him. He’d checked up on Arthur Watts, the man’s sullen expression looking tired and weary, even as the plaintive ‘Must you really keep me in these _squalid_ conditions, Jaune? I am quite bored. Is giving you information about Robyn Hill's band of huntresses obtained through a hacked Scroll not enough to buy a simple crossword puzzle?’ came from the man’s lips, his eyes dull as he tried to adjust himself a little and failing, undoubtedly from the lack of the man’s hands. That was kind of the issue, but he's push it away. The guilty did not need to be comfortable.

“And just a bit more… I always do shopping for the week here, and it’s so nice to have a man here with me.”

She was always saying that, her eyes lighting up as she put another item in the grocery bags, the cashier looking at him with admiring eyes, as he shifted a little with the bags in hand. It was a little like going grocery shopping with mom when dad wasn’t around to carry the bags, when the job called him to Vacuo or someplace foreign.

_‘Yeah, those trips always were fun. Star would help out and she’d be the one to carry the ‘lady products’, if she didn’t go and get something for herself.’_

“I’m not much of a man, honestly.”

He had only lost his virginity two weeks ago. He’d slept with the mother of one of his friends, her older sister _and_ said friend in less than ten day’s time. He’d slept with… well, he’d gotten a blowjob from Nora and things hadn’t progressed from there, he’d killed people who deserved death or were necessary to die…

_“There are acceptable casualties in any war, Jaune. If you are ever in a situation that requires you to make actions to deny the enemy something they want, no matter who it hurts… Do it. History will revile you, but you have ensured the continuation of your Kingdom.”_

It was all justifiable. It didn’t make him a good person. It didn’t make him in any way a moral person, nor did it make him feel good, but it had to be done. Cinder Fall would find death here and no Maiden powers, even with her thirst for power unquenched.

It was luck, grit and assistance that he’d had. Without the ladies assisting him, he’d have been caught with the body of Tyrian Callows and there’d be no ability for him to assassinate and frame using the man’s body. Tyrian Callows existed thus, only in the minds of those who knew him to be presence, and not the truth about his current status.

“Stop looking so serious, Jaune.”

Casey’s voice drew him from his musings, as the smile slid back into place, warmth going through him after the chill had gripped his heart, the dark thoughts not hidden. His sisters were safe, as far as he knew.

Nobody really asked the most _important_ questions when an easier answer was available. General Ironwood fell for the ruse. If his grandmother had not been Mantle-born as well like her mother had been, he’d never have gotten a good overview of what it’d been like to live here.

“I’m just thinking. Doing the whole manly thinking part, yes.”

Her light punch to his side was only a dull ‘bong’ sound as her knuckles smacked against his armour, her head shaking a little.

“Stop looking so grim. You’re in the election. They’ll have to find a reason for you to be barred from entering the race.”

He knew that he would be campaigning. The Atlas elections would take place once they found the body of Jacques Schnee. To allow Robyn Hill to be the elected Councilmember after Jacques Schnee’s death would be only to make Mantle burn with more resentment.

Some sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. There was always going to be some leader that thought they knew best, like Ozma had been. He’d gotten away with things due to actions that weren’t expected, sheer gall and guts.

“So, why don’t you get settled in and I’ll cook us something to eat, huh?”

Casey was acting friendly, as he set the groceries on the counter, four full bags, more food than he’d expected for a family of two, but he’d bear with it. He helped put the groceries away whilst she prepared the food, a simple and humble meal, just like he liked it. The Atlesian cuisine wasn’t eaten very often at home, his father preferring Valean and his mother and sisters more fond of Mistralian, so it was a difference of opinion, but they had a lot of noodles.

He sat down on the couch, turning on the television screen to see a reporter standing in front of the office.

“- underway since the death of Jacques Schnee. Elections are to be held in five days time, with Robyn Hill expected to make a sweeping victory.”

Someone shouted – “ARC FOR COUNCIL! SUPPORT THE HERO OF MANTLE!” – in the background, the reporter unflappable in her way of speaking.

“Jaune Arc, the latest candidate in the election, has managed to garner enough support from eleven of the voting districts, and is looking to be a steadfast challenger. Robyn Hill, the previous favourite, has been predicted to win at least-“

It was all babble. Robyn Hill had been an outlaw, her Happy Huntresses more like executioners and thieves. If this was all that Atlas Academy’s former finest could muster, he wouldn’t even dare trust them with a car or something.

“They’re trying to shill Hill as the viable candidate... Do they really think that the Happy Huntresses will make a comeback?”

He didn’t know. The election process was already underway with the court of public opinion. The only known murder that he had committed was a fineable offense, rather than something that’d be considered wrong to do. Huntsmen-capable individuals with dementia often were given something to ensure that they slept their final sleep, so they wouldn’t go into a rage-fuelled demented burst of fighting, their Semblance going haywire.

“Come, dinner’s ready.”

She wore a light shirt and a nice set of jeans now, having changed to something a little more comfortable in the meanwhile. The steaming food sat on the table, as he could see the effort that she’d put into cooking for him.

“You know, this is a lot of effort.”

The woman gave an understanding smile, her fingers pressing him down when he tried to get up again, a soft ‘Ah, no.’ – from her lips as he tried to make it so that she went first.

“You’re my _guest.”_

Mantlean hospitality. Great-grandmother had called it ‘laying a minefield in front and behind you, before waiting for people to step into it.’ Great-grandmother had been more than just a general, he thought. Her insights in military theory were almost as great as her insight into the mind of her enemy. To know one’s enemy, one had to know oneself, or something like that.

She watched him as he ate, a coy smile on her lips, her own pace with eating slower than he as she refilled his glass a few times, the food tasting great, and the smile on her face was warm.

“Take a warm shower afterwards, Jaune.”

He did so without much thought behind it, stepping into the warm spray and then letting his body be washed clean, as she did the dishes – ‘No, you’re a guest. Go and wash up, Jaune. I’m a big girl, I can do dishes by myself.’ – and said that dessert was for after he’d had a shower.

Walking into the living room again, he immediately noticed that the lights had been dimmed and that Casey was leaning against the wall, a nicely fitting flower-printed bra covering her modest breasts with a matching pair of undergarments, both a deep reddish colour, worn below it, her eyes looking into his own with that deliberate look that made him gasp.

“Jaune.”

She spoke his name at a different register, at a different vocal range, a throaty, needy sound, as she came closer, the smell of a light perfume in his nostrils. He couldn’t help but react to her, her arms wrapping around him, her leg wrapping around him as she pulled herself up against him, the leg hooking around his rear in a daring move.

“Thank you.”

He wasn’t sure now. He wasn’t sure whether he should take the offer and make a mistake, or whether he should deny her out of some sort of faint loyalty to Winter.

Winter didn’t want to see him, undoubtedly. He felt the emotions roll past him like a low tide rolled past a harbour, the blood in his groin definitely pumping him up for business, as she made a throaty moaning sound.

“I’m... I’m a murderer. Casey, I’m-“

She kissed him softly on the lips, her eyes looking with a small hint of desperation, something more than he’d normally see in someone’s eyes.

“No, you’re _not_. You killed people, _sure,_ but the cold kills more people every day. Mantle doesn’t have _anyone_ , but you- you gave us hope. You’re foreign-born, you’re someone who lit that spark, who _doesn’t_ have a tie to the General.”

She was grinding herself against his groin, a shudder going through her body as she did, her lips pressing against him once more in a kiss. He looked at the woman and felt the loathing go through him once more.

“Jaune, _please_. I don’t care. You’re a _good_ man. Do you think Mantle isn’t like Atlas? Do you think that we’re all but meek sheep? We _fight_ if we must, Jaune. Ironwood isn’t the only one who has to make sacrifices. So...”

She let go of him and took him by the hand, a light little smile on her face as she let her fingers brush over his own. Her eyes were pleading with him, as she breathed in slowly.

“Let me tell you a little story.”

She pulled him to her bedroom, the place he’d only been to twice, the bed already made with two pillows, obviously because she’d prepared for this, opening the bed for him by pulling the covers, his simple nightshirt and pants enough to cover him, as the woman got into bed with him.

“My mother died when I was ten and father died when I was sixteen. Things were tough, they weren’t always the best in Mantle, but with the whole hubbub around one of the major mines closing down due to the explosion... well, I had to do what a girl without any source of income had to do.”

She leaned against him, her fingers pushing under his shirt and then rubbing over his chest, a soft little murmur, as she bit down on his neck and licked at the spot.

“Men need _relief_ , Jaune. Men are like animals that need a woman to keep them _sane,_ focused on the job they do.”

She’d been a prostitute. He’d seen several of them on the streets, women with tattered clothing and small signs advertising their prices. They were a rough sort of women, used to having to fight tooth and nail for their ‘turf’.

“I got my baby girl after a condom broke. That’s when I decided to get out of the life, and- and I’m not ashamed of it. I’ve got a home, I’ve got a job that pays, better than what- what she’d have to do, if I’m not there for her anymore. She’s a good girl, Jaune. A really good girl, even if I don’t know who her father is. Nicta used to be the woman I saw for my checkups, back in the day. Just... Just let me make you a little saner, okay?”

She climbed atop him and pulled his shirt off, after he raised his arms, her eyes looking down at him, the smell of a woman in his nostrils, deep and feminine at the same time. He didn’t think he’d ever be with her if he hadn’t been a Huntsman, but he felt bad. He was a criminal, he had done reprehensible things that he’d never have done if he’d still lived at home.

“Now the pants...”

She was a smaller woman than Winter was. A smaller woman, yet a woman nevertheless. The chances that Winter would want him after he’d killed the Winter Maiden were astronomically small.

“Oh, you’re a big boy, aren’t you...”

Her hands were fairly small as she groped over his flaccid shaft, her head turned up to face him, concern in her eyes.

“We don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I’m just... doing what a whore does best. Making you sane, just ready for the next day where you'll make us proud.”

She wasn’t a whore. She was a mother of a nice girl, one who’d grow up to be pretty and make all the boys jealous.

“You’re not a whore. You’re my partner for the night.”

The chill was banished by warmth, as she felt him stiffen in her hands, the gasp from her loud, as he grew harder at the touches of the woman. It wasn’t something that he would deny her, if she wanted to keep him company. He’d never slept with a woman whilst in a relationship with another, and Winter and he were probably now broken up. 

“Damn...”

She looked at him, her small hands resting on his manhood, both gripping it at different places.

“I’ve never backed away from a challenge. Mantle lives in Atlas’ shadow, but we are tough people. Thank you for accepting this service, Jaune. You... you don’t judge me for my past.”

He wouldn’t. She was a friend, he had to take her daughter to school in the morning. He reached for his Scroll and set the alarm for the same time as today.

“Then let’s have a good night together, Casey. Not quite the dessert I was envisioning, though.”

She mumbled something about it being her pleasure to get him as her extra studly dessert, before she lowered her head to get a taste.

There weren’t many sounds other than groaning and moaning coming from his lips afterwards, save for hushed groans of her name. She was... much louder. The next-door neighbour's banging only made her bite down on the pillow much harder, as they danced a different tango than the one he'd learned in his youth.

* * *

**For the people who are confused about the Council seat: I had this whole section written up six times, but I figured I'd best put it down in a few simple words: Checks and Balances. It's the reason why Donald Trump isn't Emperor of America after he eliminated the other governmental branches. Five seats, each dividing 20% of the power. One seat is vacant, Jacques never got to sit on it. That keeps 20% of the power inaccessible. Camillia and Sleet have 20% each, Ironwood has 40%. Normally, he'd have 20% as General, and someone else would be Headmaster. Sleet initiated a removal from office: James Ironwood could not use the power of the Seat to vote against the motion. His vote as general was outweighed, 2 to 1. Another word: Impeachment. Very powerful word. This is how democracies work. The moment you want a military person to assume dominance over your government, you automatically lose the right to complain when he executes all his opponents for 'political treachery'. We may remember a man named Stalin. Too much power in a single man.**

**I've said my thing about this. I like talking about the stuff I write, but to immediately see people going 'the end is nigh' when we're just seeing the story move into Phase II is just... yeah. You don't have all the facts available to you yet. Things will become clearer in a few chapters. Think about Cinder, for instance. That's the only hint I'm giving. A lot of the 'how' and the 'why' are related to that woman. Thank you for the flood of comments, though, as well as the support. I'm not in the greatest of health, but I try to make your life better during the Corona epidemic with some nice story stuff!**

**Leave a comment, if you'd like.**


	15. Performance party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey got laid. Weiss talks with her team leader and Yang. Jaune tries to do the best he can.

**I read all your comments. I just cannot answer your questions fully. I'll try to give some more hints though.**

* * *

Jaune woke up in a messy bed with Casey on his side, the pillow half-pulled out from under him, her bare body laid there in front of him, the heating still on a low setting, just warm enough to make her not be too chilly, his eyes looking at her delicate body, a breast half-peeking up from the half-tangled mess of sheets.

_‘That was… fun.’_

It had been more than he had expected, more than he’d thought. She’d been passionate and gentle at the same time, touching and stroking before she got to work, doing it with an expression on her face that showed her care and her affection. She was his woman, at least for the night. She wanted to soothe him, because she knew that men needed affection.

_‘I’m not worthy…’_

He had betrayed more than he’d wanted to, knowingly instigating what might be one of the most brutal political moves of the century, though nobody would know it. He got out of the bed, aware that Casey was still comfortably sleeping, snuggling against the pillow.

“Dun’ leav me.”

A soft murmur, before she snuggled a little closer, and he looked down at himself, his body feeling the stress hit it. He had done what he could to make sure that Cinder Fall would not claim the power of the Winter Maiden.

He walked into the bathroom and stared into the mirror, looking at his features, pushing open the window and exhaling slowly, just trying to wake up and gather the resolve. The freezing temperature was of no great impact to him, as he felt the cool wind wrap around him, his eyes closing for a moment as he tried to reach within the depths of himself, the Aura inside him warming up.

_‘I’m right in what I do. Cinder Fall will not take another.’_

He would make sure that the woman rested in a grave, or preferably, had her head lopped off before the body was burned. He was not going to let the world suffer her existence, even if it killed him. The frozen cold rage within his heart burned with a flame of ice, as he remembered the golden eyes and the smell of ashes, the green eyes that looked into his own before she pushed him into the locker.

“Damn, did I leave the window open?”

He felt warm arms wrap around him and he realized that he was cold, staring into the mirror that’d already frosted over, the statement from Weiss about the chill of Solitas coming back to his mind, and he shut the window, the woman’s hands delving a little lower.

“Hmmm, _there’s_ the man of the house…”

She’d been warm and affectionate, kind and loving for him to enjoy over the time that they’d spent together in the bedroom, just like she was when she was outside of it, but with the intimacy that came with it. In the muted light of the morning, he could see her reach around, the light groan from his lips making her give him a devilish smirk. That smirk had been on her lips a few times last night, he remembered, as she slid herself in front of him, kneeling below the washbasin and her hot breath tickling over his cock, which already had gotten hard.

“Hmm… If you’re ever tired of being a Huntsman or a councilmember, you could make a _lot_ of women very happy with this, Jaune. I’m… ah, god, I’m going to be walking funny for a bit. It’s like getting fisted, which is _not_ very pleasant, I’ll say.”

Her tongue batted against the tip, which’d been inside her a lot last night, a soft groan from his lips as she pushed her lips down.

“I’m glad that I’ve gotten you all eased up, Jaune. Being a manly man, and me being just a fragile woman…”

She’d been _fragile_ , indeed. She’d have bruises, if he hadn’t wrapped her in his Aura. She was less tough than Weiss had been but she’d managed to surprise him with a few of the tricks that she had.

She got up and pulled him into the shower, her body shivering as the cold spray hit it, her eyes glinting softly at the look that she gave him, lips pressing against his own as she wrapped her arms around him.

“You’re a man I’d _marry_ , Jaune. I know I’m not more than just a night of fun for you, but…”

She looked down, and kissed him again, as she smiled with that warm smile that just wrapped you in its heat.

“I wish you were her father, because she adores you, even if she thinks it ‘icky’ that her mom likes you so much.”

Casey’s daughter was a good girl, he knew. She was kind and attentive, a little shy, but loved her mother a lot, no matter what her way of conception had been. Casey’s eyes held emotions as she looked up at him, her smile a little brittle, as she sighed, knowing that he couldn’t stay, that he wouldn’t be able to stay.

“but you’re going to go and do hero things, aren’t you?”

He nodded, letting the water hit his face and wash his sins away. She rubbed a sponge over his body, a soft whisper from her lips about it being unfair, and he knew that it was. If he’d been able to settle down, he might have been able to give her the wish she held, or to Winter… but this Maiden business had come in-between, it’d all become a game of who fought the hardest.

“The woman I love, or well, who I _think_ I loved, probably hates me. I have done terrible things, even more terrible than in The Iron-Cast Heart. You undoubtedly heard of the fairytale, being Mantle-born.”

It was a fairytale that he’d heard hundreds of times before, and Casey nodded, as she scrubbed his body with the sponge, moving over his back with deliberate motions to scrub him cleaner than clean.

“I was told that it’d have a meaning, that it was true… and guess what, it did. I’ve _killed_ , I’ve murdered people, all to make sure that she could _live._ I’ve forged my heart in iron and cast it in a shell of ice, all for _her_ to live free.”

She kissed his back gently, her arms wrapping around him tightly. He could hear his alarm go off in the bedroom, but he felt like he wasn’t going to be getting up anytime soon, aware of the pain inside him. It was moments like this that made him feel like he was the worst of the worst.

Other people would malign him. The murder of an old woman, of killing another and keeping a third under lock and chain, to make the world see a lie. Tyrian Callows dance had ended in his death, the murder of one of the agents of Ozpin’s ex-wife not weighing on his soul much. Animals had to be put down before they could hurt humans.

“You’re a hero to _me_ , Jaune. Before you came into our lives, we were hoping that we’d have someone who wasn’t seeing it as a chore, to be able to show the children what it was like to have a hero take on the burden. We’re used to being neglected for the ‘showier’ aspects of the Huntsman life. Few people dare to take on the missions that treat us with dignity, because the pay is so low…”

She pulled herself in front of him, her dirty blonde hair soaked, eyes meeting his own in that look of hope, and he knew that he was a damned man, aware of her presence, as she grabbed his cheeks, as if he was a child and she was his mother.

“ _Don’t_ blame yourself for loving someone. I’m a former whore, do you think men want to be with me after they know I’ve had more men in me than most bars see in a week? We’re _Mantle_ and we’re _proud_ of what we are. Atlas, high up in the clouds, does not _care_ for us, because we mine their Dust and produce their food.”

There was a plea in her voice, as her eyes looked teary, but the tears were washed away by the water, as she breathed with a sob, her eyes looking into his for a long moment.

“Don’t think that you don’t have a future, Jaune. Don’t. I saw that look in one of my best friends’ eyes, before she went and decided to take a quick leap down a mineshaft, without a rope. You matter more to us than- Than that _stupid_ General, observing us, sending his robot minions to our city! So what if your objectives aren’t _super_ -pure? You’re doing it for the _right_ reasons, for _love_. As a woman I can respect that, even if I want to choke the bitch out who dared to think bad of such a wonderful man.”

Winter being strangled by Casey would be an interesting sight. A chuckle escaped his lips at the image, and the woman smiled at him, trying to encourage him.

“Winter Schnee getting wrestled and choked out by you would be a sight to see.”

The woman sighed, as he ran a hand through his hair, the shorter hair a little different from the usual messy mop that he’d had it in, but it was growing out again. Ren and Nora were on his side, he could trust them to do their part. With them not barred from the Academy grounds, they could do what had to be done.

You always planned accordingly, if the enemy was overconfident and arrogant enough to let you in the delusion that there was only their truth. General Ironwood’s neglect of Mantle’s basic functions was paying him back in the civil unrest.

“That’s a hard challenge to take on, Jaune. Don’t you have someone _less_ dangerous than Ironwood’s pet dachshund?”

He shrugged. He was pretty sure that Willow and Casey might be able to go one-on-one together, but that wasn’t something he’d bet Lien on.

“I’m eh… I’m kind of predisposed to the Schnees. You’re the first woman I slept with that hasn’t been a Schnee.”

The eyebrows rose, and he felt embarrassment go through him.

“Winter _fainted_ when I pushed myself in, okay? Her mother was able to get it in with no problem, but Weiss was just… Yeah.”

That had been embarrassing. Embarrassing, a little weird and she’d been a bit freaky. She must’ve been repressing a lot of things, because that’d just been an explosion of stuff… oof.

“Damn, so you’ve cucked Jacques Schnee…”

He coughed, not quite sure whether that was something he should be announcing. The man was dead because of him, of course, but still.

“I’d like it if you didn’t spread that news…”

She looked seriously at him, before she closed her eyes, rubbing her body against him.

“So… Who was your first, huh? The ol’ Misses, or little Winny the Schnee-cream?”

_‘I doubt that Winter would approve of that nickname.’_

He knew that women could get very stubborn if they were denied an answer, so he sighed softly, aware of how the female mind worked from his sisters’ own treatment of him. The interrogations on ‘Who was this girl you were talking to earlier at the store, Jaune?’ and ‘Where did you hide the porn, Jaune?’ were needlessly complicated.

“Her mother. We… kind of broke his desk when I was fucking her ass.”

Casey looked smug, as she giggled at the image.

“Damn, and you just fucked an older lady last night into aching and moaning now, you stud milf-slayer.”

He hadn’t _known_ that it was her mother, of course. He’d best clarify that, lest she think that he was some sort of older lady predator who went for those with children.

“I didn’t know that she was her mother until she called and it just clicked! We got drunk and she started to just dance, we had a few more drinks and she went like ‘come to a different place’ and then I was just… woah.”

That’d been an experience. His first experience. It had been interesting, intriguing and more than a little exciting. It was more than he’d ever expected, more than he’d ever hoped for.

“Yeah, that’d be what happens when you’re with a pent-up milf. I’m just… Yeah… Damn, this makes you worth a million Lien to the Faunus, y’know? Most don’t like ol’ Moustachio much more than they like unpaid work, but hearing that you fucked his wife on his desk’s going to win you support.”

He’d really like it if that didn’t come out. Willow probably wouldn't like that if it came out. It'd be better if this was just a little mistake, something in the heat of the moment.

“I’m going to see her today. I’m going to… make her an offer.”

He’d only briefly seen her a few days ago, aware of the pressure on him at that time, when he was ready to go and kill Fria. It’d been about 20 minutes, but he’d succeeded in it.

Jacques Schnee had gotten up, and he’d died, gasping and clutching at his desk as the venom of Tyrian Callows ate its way through his organs, bloody froth coming from his lips.

It had been _necessary_.

If your enemies lived, they would cause problems later. Cinder proved that once more with her existence to haunt him again. The woman would not quit, and he would not quit until she laid dead. His team supported him, even with the darkest of deeds. Nora was the little sister that he’d adopted and Ren his brother, and well… they were a _family_.

He’d make it formal, once he got to the registry bureau. They deserved to be a member of the family. His sisters would love them and appreciate them, and his parents would accept them as members of the family as if they’d been born to them.

_‘Nora, Ren… We’re going to be together.’_

He wouldn’t let them die, and neither would he let the others die.

“Stop looking so angry, Jaune. I’m… You’re scaring me.”

He reined in his expression, aware that he’d gotten melancholic in his thoughts. He sighed and gave a sad look at Casey, who lightly rubbed his shoulder, smiling sadly at her.

“I’m sorry, I’m just…”

She understood, somewhat, as she pulled him close.

“You’re going to be a hero again today, Jaune. No matter what the world may call you, to me, you’re a hero. I’m just alone with my daughter, and you may think it stupid for a woman to say so, but you are a spark of hope, of warmth in this dark and cold place. Do what you do best. Save those who you can, Jaune… because you’ve already saved us. You’ve put an _animal_ down for killing our friends.”

A soft rub with her forehead over his chest as she ground her chin against his chest.

“Do you know how many people die without the killer ever being known here? So _many_. Atlas doesn’t care, they’ll _never_ care as long as we live to provide them with bodies for their war machine. Working in Atlas is good, but they don’t allow people to move back to Mantle. Once you go up, you don't come down.” 

He sighed, as he rubbed her head, a soft smile on her lips, as she smacked his rump with her hands, a little ‘eep!’ from his mouth at the sudden touch.

“Better keep that big smile on your face, Councilman Arc… It’s what I’m putting my hope on. When Hill stabbed us in the back to become a bandit, we- we felt betrayed. What was _she_ doing? Atlas doesn’t care for Mantle.”

He dressed quietly, Casey assisting him with getting the armour on, the alarm ringing for the sixth time. He was aware that it was still early, but he felt somewhat more restful now, as Casey dressed herself, a little limp to her steps.

“Do you want me to soothe the pain?”

She shook her head, giving a small smile at him and a little wink.

“I like the pain. Reminds me that I’ve been with a Megoliath rather than a little robot man… Hmm… When you come back tonight, I’ll make you something nice.”

He hoped that she would indeed make him something nice, because it definitely was going to be a long day for him, having to convince Willow Schnee.

“I best go and get the children to school.”

She kissed his cheek before she flopped down onto the couch, giving him a lazy smile, aware that he’d do what he said he would. He wasn’t someone who gave up, for Mantle, his friends or his family.

He greeted Casey’s daughter with a smile, the girl excitedly telling him about what she’d done at her friend’s house, the women giving him curious looks, Nicta’s eyes looking a little bit worried, before she nudged him after the children were delivered to school.

“My guest seems to be bored… Are you going to… get him out of there?”

The man was too valuable for immediate execution. There would be a body needed, but the man’s talents, even without the hands that had been taken from them, were still something that he could use. The man had tapped into Robyn Hill’s Scroll, after all. During the Election, it had been an easy process, since the network all worked on the same system, Robyn Hill’s Scroll marked with the same parameters for the influence of the network.

“I’ll see about that tomorrow. Keep him sedated, docile. I’m going to have to…”

He wasn’t sure exactly how he was going to tackle the Robyn Hill issue, but he would need to get rid of that little stepping stone. Good ideals but horrible execution, and a lack of utter conviction to do what was right. If the woman had really helped the people of Mantle, she would be a good candidate, but…

She _hadn’t_. What had she achieved with the stealing of supplies for the Amity Colisseum? Nothing. What would a woman need communications equipment for?

“Okay.”

He could trust her, he could trust them. They wouldn’t betray easily, because they weren’t the type to let go of someone who could be a hero. Nicholas Schnee had been someone who had been a hero of Mantle, and he wore the man’s armour, even though he felt himself unworthy of that prize.

“I’m off to Atlas… Time to see whether I can make an appeal.”

He was on the transport to the upper part of the kingdom, already in the call with Weiss her mother. The connection stabilized immediately when he got within range, a smile on his lips as he saw the woman’s picture flicker, showing that it had been accepted.

“Miss Schnee? This is Jaune Arc, I was hoping to be able to meet with you on a matter of cooperation…”

It wasn’t something that he’d speak about openly, knowing that his moves were monitored. Ten minutes later, he was setting foot on the floating Kingdom, aware of the Atlesian droids that were standing guard, ready to attack him if it were the order. The grim-faced Specialist that looked at him was definitely not looking too happy to see him, as he handed his weapon to the inspector, having it be handed back to him. Something that had obviously been a new policy, instated due to his own duplicity. The search had not found a single thing on his body.

_‘You always hide the evidence where the enemy would not search so easily.’_

“I’m expected. Willow Schnee has invited me over for tea.”

He would have tea with the woman and offer his plan to her. It was still early in the morning but the woman had stated that she indeed had time for him, even as the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company.

He would undoubtedly not be arrested for going to the non-military parts of Atlas. If they did, they’d be in… well, definitely different straits, as he took a cab to the luxury district, telling them to stop in front of the mansion and tipped generously. One did not forget to tip properly in Atlas, or otherwise things might get a little hairy. He walked up to the doors and knocked once, a servant opening the door and looking at him with a questioning look.

“I am here to speak with Willow Schnee.”

The man bowed and let him in, as a good member of staff did, Jaune’s steps carrying him through the large hallway to the stairs, to where he knew the room was where she usually kept herself.

“Mister Arc.”

A polite tone of voice, Willow Schnee standing at the top of the stairs, a dark blue suit worn, something that her husband might have used, but more tailored to the woman’s form, her eyes looking him over for a moment as he smiled.

He might have lost her daughter’s love, but the woman regarded him fondly, especially after what he’d done for her. The framing of Arthur Watts was only secondary to the murder of her husband.

“Miss Schnee. I am sorry for imposing on you…”

The woman waved it off with an elegant gesture, her smile somehow warmer and friendlier, much like her daughters. The woman motioned for him to come up, standing there to wait for him, her eyes glistening with that look which said volumes.

“Do join me in the sitting room, Mister Arc. Whitley is still a little out of sorts after he found his father like that.”

He felt guilty, but the man was a menace to his family. Willow deserved freedom, Whitley deserved to have his sisters and Winter and Weiss did not have to feel fear and to be defiant anymore. The man was the root of those issues, and he would not let someone like that hurt the people he cared for.

“I feel bad for him.”

It had all gone according to plan. Jacques Schnee laid dead. The end had been achieved, with only the setup. Just like the Mistralian Imperator, it had been a masterstroke.

“It is what it is. My husband has died.”

The woman wasn’t sad about it, he noticed. She offered him her arm, and he took it, her hand lightly tracing over his chestplate. They entered the sitting room, finding Whitley sitting there, his eyes brightening a little as he saw him. The childish smile on the young lad’s face was enough to make him feel a brush of warmth inside him at the young man’s ability to smile. It hadn’t been tainted by the death of his father, luckily.

“Mister Ar-, _Jaune_.”

He smiled and let go of Willow’s arm, ruffling the young teen’s hair, aware that there was only around five years between the two of them. It was a different feeling to be the one who could give comfort to someone rather than to be the baby brother, who always had the attention of his seven sisters.

“Sorry, Whitley. I’m sorry you had to find your dad like that.”

He looked into the blue eyes, which firmed a little. His smile eased a little, as he knew that Whitley would be a good man when he grew up.

“It was… _unpleasant_ , but… but Mother is better now. She was… She was in quite a state, and I- I think I would not mind making you a member of the family, _officially_. You would have a wife in a Schnee, i-if you wish it.”

The young man was talking about marriage to one of his sisters, undoubtedly. Willow’s soft cough made the young man straighten out a little, as he felt the weight of the older woman’s body leaning against it, the woman’s head tapping against the back of his chestplate, the soft weight of the woman barely unbalancing him, but he was reminded of the morning, in the shower.

“What can the Schnee family do for you, Mister Arc?”

The woman slid past him, seating herself next to her son and looking at him with a serious expression, business-like if she had to, the look on her face stern, and he sighed.

“I need a press briefing, and I want you to be there with me.”

A nod, as the woman’s shrewd gaze rested on him, her eyes flicking to the side, as the woman gave a low sigh of relief.

“That is doable. I have not made any public addresses in years, so I shall be… well, it will be a small matter to arrange. Is this about your election?”

He nodded. It was time to unify the Kingdom.

“I have to win the election, and I will do it fair and square. Robyn Hill couldn’t make good on her promise…”

His eyes were a deep cool blue as he looked into Willow’s, as his fist balled itself, aware of the woman’s own hidden agenda. Those who proclaimed to work for the good of the country usually turned out to have their own agenda.

“And if you fail in your election, you will have the Schnee Dust Company’s legal team to represent you at your court trial. I will _not_ let a young man who has done much for my daughters _rot_ within a prison cell. The Schnee Family is your family, if you wish it. My daughters adore you and my son looks up to you. None of my children would like to be without you in their lives.”

The woman’s love for her family was a constant, and he knew that if he took the offer, there would be a quiet ceremony, and he’d marry her. Winter was out of his reach, but Weiss and Willow were now on the market. He was able to seize the reins of the greatest industrial power company of the world with a simple ‘I accept’, but he would not, not until Cinder Fall rested in her grave.

“I care for all of you, but I’ll have to deny the kind offer.”

A coy smile played on her lips, as the woman’s hand rubbed over her belly, a subconscious gesture, he noticed.

“I’ll _change_ your mind, Mister Arc. Willow Schnee is a woman who gets what she wants, even if I have to get a can opener to get you out of your armoured shell.”

He laughed softly at the thought. She’d have some special can oper needed for this armour, it was Dust-reinforced.

“My daughter will be living with me in the manor again, and… and Winter will _consider_ it, I have it on good accord. There seems to have been an issue with the team Weiss is on.”

He knew that. Blake had cornered him with one of Hill’s Happy Harpies in a diner, after all.

* * *

Weiss wasn’t sure whether this was the right choice, but she was going to do it anyways. Her mother had offered her a place in the home again, for the time being. With the plans for the Amity Colisseum having gone awry because someone had told the minions of Salem about it, there would be a time for reevaluating their chances and their choices. General Ironwood wasn’t sitting idle, she knew. The man had looked haggard already when she’d gone to visit her sister, the man bent over a large map of the city, the Headmaster’s office also serving as the General’s quarters, a timeshare thing with Qrow, even with the stress of the night before having been laid on his shoulders. Winter looked no less worn down, emotionally and physically as she went through the motions, the conversation having been short, to the point and with little optimism.

Professor Polendina had said that there could be something adjusted with a small satellite system, something that could bounce the ‘waves’ of something off on it, but it would require effort and time to develop something on the level that could be used, time that they didn’t have right now due to Salem’s forces working in Mantle.

An arrest warrant had been sent out for Arthur Watts and Tyrian Callows, Weiss noticing the extra robotic soldiers that had been set up around the Academy, the stressed look on the new headmaster’s face more than enough to make him look even more in need of a drink than before.

_‘I’m sorry…’_

“Ruby?”

Her team leader looked up, her silver eyes questioning, as she let her gaze slide to Yang, who was looking depressedly at the bag that had belonged to Blake, the Scroll that Blake had not being answered, no matter how much she tried to call it.

“I’m going to move back into my mother’s house. She’s… She said that we’ll have a room to ourselves, if we want it, and- And I’m going to take the offer. She’s… She’s _mom_.”

No matter what her mother had been during the last nine years, it still didn’t stop being a warm feeling inside her to see her mother look at her with tears in her eyes and giving her the warmth of being home again, even with Father no longer there.

Ruby could come with her, or she could stay here, she wasn’t going to give up a chance to be with her mother as a family again. She had seen what one friend could do to a sister. Ruby’s smile was mild, as she looked at her with an understanding look. She glanced at the clock, before she took a deep breath.

“It’s… Perhaps it’ll be for the best if you go, Yang and I will want to- Y-Yang?”

Yang looked at her sister and then got off, pulling her jacket a little tighter. Weiss blinked, the big pack that Yang owned suddenly lifted.

“If she’s offering a spot at her mom’s place and her mom’s cool with it, I’m joining her. I’m sorry Ruby, but…”

The spot where Blake had laid on the bed was something that brought a shudder through the blonde girl, who looked at her.

“O-Okay. T-then we’ll… we’ll all leave together. Yes, nice at Weiss her mom’s house. I’ll see whether Oscar wants to come too. We've been... we've been talking more, about stuff.”

_‘I didn’t like how he looked when Qrow was announced as the Headmaster of Atlas Academy.’_

It was a suspicion inside her, one that she squashed, one that nagged at her, more than anything that she could wish for, the mistrust that she felt for the boy that bore the soul of their former Headmaster.

“Sure.”

She was growing paranoid of people, but after Blake had ran off and left Yang in such a messy state… she wasn’t taking chances. Ruby’s Scroll beeped and Ruby answered it, Nora’s excited voice coming from the speaker.

“Jauney is on TV! Quick! Watch it!”

The girl seemed to be blissfully happy regardless of what had happened to her leader, though the political stuff seemed to have given him an out, something that they’d both denied knowing about… but Weiss doubted that.

She tuned in on her Scroll, the look on Jaune’s face bold and fearless, his hair looking neater than before, the cloak that her grandfather had worn fluttering in the slight breeze that’d falling, her mother standing at his side, a few steps behind him. A proper position for someone who was a second player on the stage, a woman who was bereaved of a husband and thrust into one of the most powerful positions in this world’s economy.

“People of the city of Mantle, people of the city of Atlas, citizens of the Kingdom of Atlas, my name is Jaune Arc.”

* * *

He could not falter now, as he looked at the camera’s, standing there in front of the house with the woman who would make it all a reality standing at his side. For Mantle and for Atlas, this would be a start of something.

“The issue of the wall is something that has divided the two cities. Robyn Hill has promised to ensure that the wall was built, yet her actions have not given a result that is satisfactory for the people of Mantle! I am not elected yet, and I may not even get elected, but I will do what I must for the people of this Kingdom to be safe.”

He remembered the core of how to give a speech. He knew the basics of how to speak, even if fear silenced your tongue. A hero did not stand there and looked like he was a fool, he spoke with conviction and decisiveness.

_“The people can believe that the sky if green and the water tastes like blood, my child. It is simply a manner of convincing them to see things your way, and the truth will never be something that is needed. You need conviction, the ability to show them that you are the inevitable choice for them to support… An army thrives on morale, Jaune. Feed that morale! Stoke the flames and you will have their loyalty.”_

“I have spoken with Willow Schnee today, the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, as many of you will know. I have spoken with her at length about the necessary actions to take and I am aware that Mantle has been under a curfew and military lockdown for all non-Atlas City citizens. Atlas is a _kingdom_ , and if Mantle cannot fix the wall themselves due to Atlas holding the legislative power…”

He stepped back, his cloak fluttering in the breeze some more, as Willow stepped forwards. She would do her part, and he looked at the expression on her face. No longer was a weak woman standing there, a woman of pride and of matronly demeanour stood there.

“The Schnee Dust Company, under the provision of our mining license in the City of Lower Mantle, will be reinforcing the wall and mending the holes it holds, in order to show to the people of Mantle that we are not unfeeling to their plight. Several of our Paladin Assault Suits will stand guard over the proceeding reconstruction of the wall and will be permanently stationed there in order to ensure the safety of Mantle’s wall. For too long has my company, my father’s legacy, rested within the mire of labour violations and ill-treatment of our workers. Atlas is a _Kingdom_ , as Mister Arc has said, and I am aware of that.”

She stepped back and he got to the microphone stand again, the woman standing at his side, his eyes looking bold and fearlessly at the cameras.

_‘Look at me, Cinder Fall. See what I am doing for the people of Mantle and come for me… You can’t stand the sight of a failure with a death wish doing better than you…’_

“I am aware that I am young and utterly unskilled in politics, but I am someone who will do what is _right_. What has James Ironwood done for the city of Mantle, except implement a curfew and send his military down to suppress the people? Robyn Hill is forced to live her life as a bandit queen, stealing from the people of Mantle in order to maintain her style of life, before she retreats to her home in Atlas to rest. I am a Huntsman, and I will make sure that this Kingdom is worth being called a _Kingdom_ , rather than merely a dream floating in the sky whilst the people below it wallow in the shadow it casts.”

He paused for a moment, aware that he had let his passion sweep him into the more grandiose statement, aware that he’d let his feelings lead him on. People liked to see that, but agitating against General Ironwood was unwise… but he didn’t think that he could do worse.

“Mister Arc! Atlas News, Caramel Caramba, speaking live: What are your plans for Mantle and Atlas if you ascend to the council? Will we be seeing any long-term strategies implemented to mend the divide between the two cities?”

He didn’t have an answer for that ready, because it wouldn’t really matter much, as long as Cinder got the hint.

“ _Unification_ , Miss Caramba. Mantle and Atlas are two parts of a whole. The people of Mantle are just as important to me as the people of Atlas. We are all subjects to the same laws as all the other Kingdoms, and, even if I am not a native, I will make certain that the people of Mantle and the people of Atlas can look forward to something that will last for a thousand years. I represent the people, _not_ the military. I am Jaune Arc, born in Vale, a survivor of the Fall of Beacon and I will _not_ let people suffer if I can help it.”

He answered several more quick questions on policy, before Willow Schnee stepped forward once more to make some announcements about the Schnee Dust Company’s future steps, as she’d discussed with him, though he wasn’t an economist or a businessperson. Whitley, who seemed much better at those facts started to discuss possible strategies, but he didn’t have much experience with that, so he left it to the two Schnee, holding a few conversations with some of the people from Mantle.

It was important to coordinate things. He had _campaign staff_ , for one. His mother would probably go and strangle him for doing something so risky, whilst his father would likely not stop laughing until it hit him that he’d become a household name in Mantle, and that his son was trying to kill himself.

_‘Yeah… they’re not going to be happy to see posters with ‘Jaune Arc for Mantle’. Mom would strangle me at least for doing something so daring…’_

They would be _proud_ , of course…but it would come down to the debate, the day after tomorrow. There were three days before the election still, and the debate would be held on the last day, according to the schedule. There had been five days, with one day devoted to gathering the votes by hand. There would be no more election fraud through electronics.

“Mister Arc, some of the people are questioning your motives for entering the elections! Some indicate that you have ulterior motives, against a legitimate candidate like Robyn Hill!”

His attention drew to one of the reporters, a small bird pin on her lapel showing her allegiances, even with his smile growing a little bolder.

“I will see Miss Hill at the debate stage, if she doesn’t send her girlfriends to abduct me again. Moor’s Diner, corner of the Miner’s gallows street, definitely has a report about one of the Happy Huntresses pointing a weapon at me with the intent to ‘bring me to Miss Hill’, so I wouldn’t put exactly much stock in the tactics that Miss Hill and General Ironwood seem to be so fond of employing against someone who actually desires to see Atlas as a kingdom be unified, rather than separated.”

It was a jab below the belt at Robyn Hill, but the woman had made herself into his enemy. All opposition must be eliminated or shoved aside, for victory to be achieved. The fight between Raven Branwen and Cinder Fall had left Cinder Fall alive… so this time, he’d cut off her head himself.

He arrived back at Mantle late, nearly at five. A soft knock on the front door to Casey’s apartment and she opened it, a smile on her lips as she stepped aside.

“Welcome home, Jaune.”

He gave a soft sigh, as Casey’s daughter waved and excitedly asked whether the wall was going to be built by Atlas after all.

“It’ll be built and paid by Atlas. Willow Schnee promised that she would.”

He could trust her at least on that. She was like Winter and Weiss. They kept their word, and they would do as they had said, stubborn as they both were.

It was a sign for Mantle that better times were coming. As he crawled into bed next to Casey, the woman wearing only a thin nightshirt for modesty and some underwear, he remembered some of the things he did with Weiss.

“Say, is it a thing for Atlesians to be into acting like they are a princess and wanting some barbarian to ravage them?”

She turned to him and the most amused smile appeared on her lips, as she started to giggle at him.

“Oh my… Did you start to read something, or did Mommy Dustbucks give you a tease?”

He couldn’t stop himself from growing hard at the thought, Casey’s face showing her amusement, as she rolled closer to him.

“Well, Weiss, her youngest daughter, we… we did a bit of play when we had sex, and… And well, she wanted to have me just-“

Casey’s smile was warm, as she leaned closer and her hands rubbed over the front of his underwear, a soft humming coming from her lips as she stroked over the large bulge, the hand delicate in its touching, as Casey’s eyes twinkled.

“It’s a very popular adult book series, Sixty Shades of White. Erotic stories, generally written for ladies who don’t have to do much more to do in their lives than read, quite the _thrilling_ thing… Mister Arc… Are you implying that you’d- _Ooh…”_

Her hand pulled the underwear down and he groaned, as she pulled her shirt off and exposed herself, her eyes looking at him with a look, her tongue sliding over her lips.

“Let me comfort you a bit more, _mister_ Arc. Sixty Shades of White is a book series that’s got a lot of different themes… So… What story do you want to play, Jaune?”

He looked at the woman, before he glanced at the direction of her daughter’s bedroom. There was a door and two walls in-between, but that still made things tougher for him to get in the mood, even with her hand pulling the covers off.

“Eh… I was just curious, and-“

Her lips pressed against the side of his shaft, her head turning to look at him, her mouth pulling off.

“Curiosity makes me a naughty mommy, Jaune…Despairing Housewives is a nice tale about a young woman trapped within a loveless marriage finding love with a young Huntsman…”

_‘I think Weiss mentioned that one as a fantasy…’_

She was smacking her lips a little, her nose bumping against his cockhead with a little nuzzle of her nose, her eyes sharply peering up at him with a smile appearing on her lips.

“Or a little civilian single mother getting a big blonde Huntsman’s shaft forced into her pussy, making her feel hot seed gush right into that womb of hers and making the next generation… That’s a _kinky_ one, Jaune…”

He’d trust her on that.

She got up, her body already warmed up, her underwear pulled off, tossed on the pillow next to him.

“Once upon a night, there was a lonely little single mommy in the city of Mantle, all alone in her bed… “

Her pussy lips were already wet, her fingers grabbing a hold of his cock’s base and tugged and stroked, a low guttural sound emerging from his lips at the sensation that she sent through his cock, the groaning loud in the sudden silence of the room, as Casey’s fingers started to tug.

“And suddenly, she found a big and sexy Huntsman in her bed… What was the woman to do? What _could_ she do?”

Her pussy lips teased along his cockhead, her eyes looking into his own, an important question rising to the front.

“Are you on the pill?”

A quick nod, and he felt the warmth wrap around the head of his cock, a guttural exhale emerging from his lips as she slid herself down on his cock, a low ‘ah-h-ah-ah!’ from her lips, as he could see how she seemed to grow wetter once she impaled herself, her size rather petite, compared to his own. Weiss just looked awkward, but Casey seemed to revel in the feeling her hands on his shoulders for support, her eyes looking into his own with a big grin on her lips.

“She could _fuck_ the guy, but that’d soothe her for a day…”

A slow jerk of her upper body, as she leaned close and kissed him, her pussy slowly and laboriously sliding up, the wet sound of it in the background as her lips pressed to his own, her tongue exploring his mouth as she kissed him, her breathing heavier, as she pushed herself down once more.

“Or she could make him into her man, the man who’d give her another baby. Another hero, for Mantle.”

He knew that she was just playing out the story, of course. Weiss had been really crude when he’d marked her skin, telling him that she wanted to birth his bastard children, but Weiss was most definitely on the birth control pills. Huntresses had to make sure that they were prepared, but a condom was mandatory in most cases.

A low groaning from him mixed with hers, and she pressed her finger to her lips.

“Best not wake her up.”

He tried to remain silent, as she continued to tell the tale of lewd interest, the tale which women who were lonely liked to read, the feeling burning within him to unleash his pent-up lust inside her, Casey’s voice turning to groans and moans, as she came several times. Her body shuddered a little from time to time, his balls already wet with her ejaculate, her eyes a little ragged.

“Come, you dirty bastard… Come on, what does a woman have to get to do to make you come?”

It was a complaining, slurred tone, her eyes half-closed as she reached that high once again and tightened up, her body shivering.

“How does the story end?”

Her groan was louder than before, and she made a keening sound, her pussy tightening up as she leaned closer.

“The single mommy makes him into her baby’s daddy… But it seems this particular Huntsman has a problem with shooting his load. Come on, Jaune. Cum for me.”

He started to move and her eyes went wide, her body jolting as he took charge, her mouth giving a startled little squeak as she was pulled closer, rolling on top of her, his larger frame on top of hers. If she wanted him to come inside of her, it’d be something he could do. He trusted her, and all you needed was just a little bit of faith at times.

She made an ‘oof’ sound as he started to thrust, her mouth opening and something that sounded like the start of a scream coming out, as she tightened around him. Her body twitched and her legs wrapped around him, two of his fingers pushed into her mouth, a guttural sound from her, an ‘ugnnnfff, hmmmfff jnnnnn!’ coming from her lips, as she made faces at him, his hips smacking against her. It was guttural and primal, that feeling of smashing himself into her as she wanted. It was a quickie, something that’d been because of her urging, he felt warm and safe now, within her arms, as he pulled his fingers out of her mouth, her saliva sticking to them.

“Come on, you can do it, Jaune. Show this single mom what her baby daddy’s going to do for her, huh? Fill me up with a baby, Jaune. Take the single mom in her bed, and ensure that she’s getting bred.”

Her head rose and she bit down on his neck, the pain making him push forwards, a lower groan coming from his lips as the sperm splashed into her depths in thick gushes, his body relaxing a little as he pressed her to the bed, her legs slowly flopping down, the hot spunk inside her hot and needy, like he’d felt before. A shiver went through her as she rubbed over her stomach, a soft smile on her lips.

“Yeah… And… and they lived, the Huntsman going off on his little quest for justice, peace and killing big bad-ass Grimm… Aw, fuck… I think I sprained my womb or something, shit…”

He pushed his Aura into her to help her a little, the warmth shooting through her body as she shivered for the first moment as she felt him swallow her with that power of his soul.

“That’s… better. Hmm… Stay with me here, buddy… I’m…”

She kissed him gently, her eyes questioning him with that expression that was unfading.

“I’ll _never_ forget you and what you’ve done for us, Jaune. I’m just a tissue you can clean your cock with, a woman who’ll make you sane for a day, but…”

A delicate kiss, against his collarbone, a deep sigh from her lips, as she grew tearful, her head looking away from him.

“People don’t _see_ it. They don’t see the you who’s willing to do anything to protect the people of Mantle, his friends…”

She quivered a little, as she pulled herself away a little, his manhood slipping out of her, as he wrapped an arm around her, her hands pulling the shirt on again.

“ _Me_. I know that you’ll leave, you’re… you’re too good for a simple girl like me, but…”

Her eyes looked into his own, the muted lighting of the alarm clock perfectly making her features be cast in shadows.

“You’re a hero. You’re carrying Atlas on your shoulders and you’re standing with Mantle, Jaune. No matter what, Jaune Arc is a good man. Any woman is blessed by the Gods for having you close.”

_‘That’s a lie.’_

Pyrrha had died. Winter had nearly been blessed with the curse of the Maiden’s powers. Willow had lost a husband and regained her freedom thanks to his actions.

He was not a hero at all. A hero always smiled and told the innocents that they would be safe.

“All I can do is to keep people safe. I’m- I’ve lied to people. I’ve lied to them many times, and I’m r-“

She kissed him again, her eyes angrily looking at him.

“No. You’re someone who does _good_ for the world. There are _hundreds_ of Huntsmen, but there is none other than Jaune Arc. Even if you’ve lied a thousand times, I will still support you, Jaune. I’m- I felt so _betrayed_ when Hill just went and became a bandit. All that hope, gone… for _what_?”

He looked into her eyes, as she kissed him again, her look fiercer than he’d seen before.

“ _Nothing_. She’s not on the council and we had _Dick_ Schnee as a councillor applicant for a moment… And the next thing? She’s running _again_ , as if she _genuinely_ cares for us. Where was Robyn Hill, helping out with the hole in the wall, making sure that we were safe? You did what you had to, you convinced Willow Schnee to lend her aid to Mantle. There are a lot of men who are looking at you with thoughts about voting for you, Jaune. We remember those that do stuff for us, Mantle remembers. You are no Nicolai Romanov, but rather you are a man who brings down the hammer.”

A familiar phrase, to be compared to the previous King of Mantle who had failed. He was sure that it’d be an execution or something for him as well. It was a regrettable thing, but he would not suffer the deaths of his family and friends. Casey looked at him with care in her eyes, before she hugged him closer.

“Women, eh… I’m biased, but if you didn’t just make some pussies wet with that whole bit about ‘not getting elected’ and being all sexy-humble about it… Robyn Hill was a woman, so she had that whole ‘tough girl’ appeal about her with her Happy Huntresses, but seeing a studmuffin like you looking like you’re just about to grab Ironwood by the oil replacement valve he’s got down there and then go ‘I’m on the council now, bitch’, _damn…”_

He didn’t say a word, aware that she was saying the truth as she saw it. She wouldn’t like him as much if she knew the crimes he had committed, the death he had visited on people in order to do what he had to do. It was not something he enjoyed, but it had to be done.

“Jaune, listen to me. I bet a lot of women are going to go and put a bit of pleasure down their tunnel after that speech you just gave and showing them that you're there for us. A young, hot councilman in the prime of their life, making stuff happen for us down in Mantle? We dig that. Hope is something we need, because we’re always in the shadows of Atlas.”

He sighed deeply and she hugged him closely, pulling her underwear back on with a soft ‘hmm… sticky.’ He knew that he was lucky already. Cinder Fall was out there, waiting for the power of the Winter Maiden, unaware that it had been put elsewhere.

“I’m…”

She hugged him, her body warm and sweaty, his own as sweaty, as he pulled his underwear back on, the feeling of the comfort of a woman something that he’d known before. He was reminded of Winter, of that feeling of how it’d been with her and how she’d nearly climbed up against him. The Schnee liked to snuggle.

“My _hero.”_

He tried his best, as he tried to get some sleep. Casey trusted him, and he’d keep her safe.

* * *

It was a small knock on her door that made her startle awake, the room as it always had been. She opened the door to find Yang standing there in front of her room, her eyes looking tired, a wordless expression on her face as she moved closer, wrapping an arm around her.

“Can I sleep with you?”

She nodded and walked back with Yang, scooting over in her bed, allowing the blonde to get in. Yang and Ruby had both gotten a room in the mansion, the place big enough to host fifty people, opulent and imperial in its style, the rooms too many for a family of four…

Mother had allowed it, after she’d welcomed them with a dinner. It was nice eating at the same table, watching how her little brother tried to talk to Oscar about some of the things, though horribly out of his depth. Farm implements were not her little brother’s forte, and she could feel the older sister of her team leader come closer.

“Do you ever feel like you’ve been living a lie for years, Weiss?”

A deep and meaningful statement, one that she shouldn’t answer, but where the answer came to her unbiddenly, as if it had always been there for her to say. The moonlight that fell in through the window was something that illuminated her, as her hair was loose for the night, her gaze turning to Yang, the more matured girl giving her a deep look.

“If this is about Blake…”

A small nod from the blonde, whose eyes looked hesitantly at her, as if she was uncertain whether the topic should continue. Weiss had little experience with how to handle an older sister to someone she knew, but she tried, clearing her throat.

“I don’t think it’s all a lie, but- but she could be _honest_. We know very little about her. I spoke very briefly with her mother and I found out that she liked her tuna lightly seared on both sides, and that she used to be able to sing in a falsetto voice for the local Faunus choir. Not that it meant anything, but… But it was- I don’t know why she wasn’t _open_ about it.”

Yang’s face looked troubled and there were tears coming from her eyes.

“She used to _sing_?”

_‘Oh no…’_

This wasn’t good. She’d hurt Yang by unveiling just how much she’d known about Blake, a silly, stupid feeling that was unreal, because she _shouldn’t_ feel guilt for it, but it was a feeling of guilt.

“I was her partner for two semesters, for- for all this time, and- and- and it feels like I barely know her. We’ve had talks, but it was always… it was always me holding the conversation, with her answering from time to time. It always was about _me_ , about what _Yang_ does, and it’s never… Unless it was about the _Faunus_ , the _White Fang_ and her _stupid_ obsession with them. Couldn’t we have been _friends_?”

It was different for Yang, she supposed. She’d never paid attention much to what Blake said, trying to keep an open mind, to think that there wasn’t the back-story of pain and hate behind the bow. Blake was opinionated but kept silent about them until she had to do it, her eyes always watching but her lips rarely voicing her opinions until she had no other option but to speak up.

“Yang, I’m- I don’t think-“

Yang’s eyes flickered, the room lit up as her hair lit on fire, the eyes glowing with that hint of frustrated rage.

“What has she done to contribute to the team, huh?”

The metal prosthetic arm was raised, whirring a little as the motors within it shifted and the motion was soft and stopped with a click.

“Why does a Faunus get a free pass from everything, but I _can’t_? That stupid _bitch_ , that… That _Faunus_. If she wants to fight for the rights of the Faunus, _fine_. I would have _helped_ her, but I can’t help someone who doesn’t _want_ to be helped, who thinks _everything_ is wrong because I am a human and I was born to a father who couldn’t do a damn thing for _years_ , who had to wash him, clean him up and make his messes disappear if he’d- It’s so _hard_.”

The hair stopped glowing as Yang started to cry, and Weiss wrapped her arms around her friend, trying to make her feel better, the strong arms hurting a little as the blonde hugged her harder.

“It’s… it’s okay. You’re a friend. I’m- I’m sure that things will be better.”

Yang hugged her a little tighter, before she took a deep sigh, turning away, Weiss watching with concerned eyes, as she saw the shuddering and heavier breathing from the other girl, obviously crying now.

“It… It _hurts_. It hurts so much to know that she doesn’t _care_. I see his face, and- and- Her mother and father are good Faunus, but-“

She got what Yang was getting at. She rubbed the girl’s back, the shirt riding up a little to show the bright yellow underwear that Yang wore, the soft shiver going through the other girl, as she kept close to her.

“Not all Faunus are bad, but-“

Yang’s voice was quiet, interrupting her.

“I _supported_ her. I told her that Jaune was wrong, I- I thought that it was the right thing to do. I- I sort of convinced Blake that we should… that we should _trust_ Robyn. Not with the Amity tower, but… but just, just to talk. Blake blurted it out, and I- I just nodded my head. I betrayed us, and- and-”

Weiss felt sad for the blonde, as she heard the pain in Yang’s voice. Yang was struggling with the pain that had been woken within her due to her own duplicity, but Weiss could try to understand somewhat how she’d come to the conclusion to trust Hill.

“Now Blake is with _her_ , we’ve got _no_ communications tower, and there’s a manhunt out there for Blake. I’m… I’m just as guilty, I thought that- I thought that we could be-“

_‘No, Blake chose to run off. She chose to say that humans don’t act as they should.’_

Yang might be guilty of not telling the truth, but she at least hadn’t turned her back on the team. Yang had _stayed_. She was honest with her now, and she knew that Ruby would understand.

“You’re still _here_ , Yang. You didn’t leave. What Jaune did was wrong, but he was _right_. Who ran off to join Hill? Blake. Who decided to go off on her own thinking that she could fix the oppressed people? Blake. You’re _not_ guilty of anything but wanting the best for people, even if it was a wrong choice.”

Yang turned to her, her face tear-streaked in the moonlight. Another crushing hug came, a soft sobbed ‘Wei-heisssssss’ and then, she felt lips against her own lips, the feeling of warmth wrapping around her as she was kissed and held by someone stronger, the lips against her own lips more than soft, her body doing a little awkward wiggle, as the confusion of the other girl seemed to register with her, as Yang realized what she was doing.

“Ah… W-Weiss, I’m… I’m sorry, I-“

She shook her head. Ruby wouldn’t be able to deal with this, but she’d do her best.

“It’s okay, Yang. You needed it.”

The expression on Yang’s face was more emotional, as her lips pressed against Weiss her own lips, and the nightshirt that Yang wore rode up a little more, as the touches turned a little more intense and intimate, and Weiss was pretty convinced that Yang was the better kisser out of the two sisters.

It was awkward, waking up in bed with a nearly-naked Yang cuddled up against her, looking like an angel splayed out with her blonde hair on the pillow, her fingers tracing over the curve of her lips, as the blonde’s small smile curved the lips lightly. Yang’s shirt had landed on a corner of the bed after they'd 'adjusted' their positions a little.

_‘I’m… I’m going to put this down as ‘comforting a friend’. Just like Ruby had comforted me, I was… yeah, it was comforting a friend. Her tongue was great, and… and she didn’t mind my nipple-biting, no.’_

Weiss Schnee was a man-lover, whose blonde hunk was currently running for a seat on the Council.

She just kissed Yang on the lips softly as a sign of her friendship and understanding, of course. It wasn’t anything of a thank you, even if it felt warm. Yang was one of her teammates and her partner’s big sister. They had… explored their bodies, yes. Yang had… She’d been present and she wanted it.

There wasn’t anything more to it, of course. Weiss Schnee just had the unfortunate habit of sleeping with her team during moments of emotional distress. She was one-hundred percent a lover of man-sausage and Arc.

Another kiss on Yang’s lips, and the slow waking up of the other girl, lilac eyes meeting hers.

“Damn… You’re amazing, Weiss.”

She thought so too.

Ruby Rose did not expect the two of them to be intimate with each other's groins in a manner akin to kissing when she walked in with a ‘Good mooooornii- ahhhhh! Sorry, sorry! You're naked!’. Yang just continued, and Weiss had to sort of stammer a good morning back as Ruby turned around, her cheeks flushed right.

_‘It was just comforting a friend! Yang needed it!’_

People just didn’t see her loving and caring side!

* * *

**You get to see the campaign staff next chapter.**

**Also: James Ironwood, in no shape, form or anything else, is related to the Winter Maiden. He said that she was his mother in order not to make it into a known thing that the Winter Maiden was unhealthy. It's an excuse, because Jaune did not need to know a sensitive military secret like that.**

**I will be contacting my doctor to see whether I can be seen personally due to health issues. This is an update just in case I cannot make it on Saturday due to health complications. Let's not make it a 'Cya-died for your Sins'.**

**Enjoy the chapter and leave a comment if you’d like!**


	16. A speech from a fledgling political party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune does some speeching and stuff, and Weiss wakes up in bed with Yang... and goes to do some fun things. More political shenanigans! Vote Arc for Mantle!

**Enjoy this update, and have a great time reading it.**

* * *

Waking up in the morning next to someone was awkward after that hot night, Casey’s head nestled on his chest, her arms wrapped around him. She was dressed in a nightshirt and underwear still, thankfully, but that didn’t mean that he was fully dressed and ready to go. He got up slowly and then tucked her in once again, the smile on her lips twitching into something a little warmer as he kissed her cheek, standing there in his underwear, the determination in his heart stronger than before.

_‘I’ll keep you safe.’_

He stepped into the bathroom and got into the shower, turning it on after a moment of fiddling with the knobs, pushing open the window to let the steamy vapour escape, the coolness of the frigid air waking him up, his hands rubbing over his body to clean it. His alarm would go in ten minutes, but that would leave enough time for the little one to get up. He’d see about making some Valean Pancakes for breakfast, Nora liked those.

The water droplets froze before they hit the skin as he felt the boreal chill, his hair freezing a little into spikes as he turned the water off, the puffs of hot breath coming from his lips once more showing his heat compared to the coolness of the space he was in.

_‘Well, I’m awake…’_

He shook the frozen droplets out of his hair and then felt the warmth of the heating element soak him, towelling off, Casey’s smirking face looking like she’d just caught a bad boy doing something really naughty.

“Hmm… rub yourself all nice and shiny for this mommy, Jaune.”

Her eyes were amused, as she got up and pecked his cheek, just as a girlfriend would do. He wasn’t sure whether they were dating, probably not, but the woman was as caring as she could be. It was more than just physical attraction, the underwear that he’d pulled on feeling a little tighter. She kissed his lips softly, her eyes happy.

“Thank you for staying with me, after… after I’ve told you. She doesn’t _know_ about her father, I… She doesn’t know. Best to- to let her think things.”

He kissed her back, her hands brushing over the front of his underwear, caressing over them.

“Let’s have a fun time tonight, okay? I’ll… I’ll make her sleep early, and… and I’ll wear a gag. _Gag_ me, daddy.”

It was a teasing comment, but he saw the desire within the woman’s eyes, the craving that she felt for him, just like Winter. It was a pain in his heart, as he felt her brush close to him and lay a small kiss onto his cheek. A squeeze, as her fingers massaged over his flaccid manhood, her fingernails tracing over his balls.

“You huntsmen are _beasts_. Let mommy tame you a little more tonight, my _huntsman_.”

He could hear some movement in the other room, a sign that her daughter was up, shaking his head a little.

“Your daughter’s awake, Casey. I’ll see about getting some breakfast ready for the two of you.”

He could do that much. As he made the batter and then started to flip the pancakes one by one, he let his mind wander about the strategy that he’d be applying to get the votes. The members of his team had come with several plans, an advertisement campaign that mostly involved flyers, several people already having brought several slogans.

_‘Arc for Atlas’_

Running for a political office was never the real intention, but the system existed, so he could abuse it. Being imprisoned would not get Cinder Fall to come after him…

“Pancakes! Thank you, Jaune!”

Casey’s daughter was happy, as he sat down at the table with her, Casey leaning against his back.

“What do we say to Mister Arc, sweetheart?”

The girl’s smile was bright, as a chipper ‘THANK YOU!’ came from the girl’s mouth before she started on the pancakes, the light sounds of her munching on them coming like clockwork, the briefest shiver of delight as she dug in.

It was a little family scene that he’d seen play out more often than he’d liked to at home. The others around the table, whoever was at the house sitting at the head, the other chair empty. His father, always up for a laugh and a bit of fun, telling stories of how his father and his father’s father had always done something, before coming with a funny anecdote that made them laugh.

His mother, amused at times with her husband’s tales, refined in her actions until someone made a comment that didn’t sit right, before the verbal tirade burst loose. Loving, but with a temper. Dad had been much warmer and calmer.

“Time to go, kid. I’ve got to get your friends to school, I’ll try to be there with the afternoon pickup, if things don’t get too hectic. I’ve got to make Mantle safe.”

The angelic smile was what he did it for, the brightness of her features, as she piped up with a cheerful ‘Yes, dad.’, and he froze up a little for an instant, taking a deeper breath than he’d intended. He could feel the shudder go through his lower body and then up through the spine, as he suppressed it, the smile not fading at all, as he saw Casey just flinch, her eyes not looking at him, shame and something more in his eyes.

“Hey, I’m just here to keep a little angel like you safe. I’ll be everyone’s dad, if I can make this place a better one. We’ve got to keep on making this world a better place, together.”

The innocent eyes, the smile that was only marginally dimmed in its radiance, and the relieved expression on Casey’s face was something that he was thankful for. As they stepped into the freezing chill of Mantle’s weather, the child’s hand in his own, he wondered what it would be like if he had a child.

_‘It’d get spoiled rotten by the aunts. Saphron would just be over the moon, if mom didn’t just hang me from the rafters once I got home for ‘getting some poor soul pregnant with that big hulking battering ram’ like she said she would.’_

It’d be loved, though. He knew the importance of family. Great-grandmother had always said that family was one of the reasons that she’d left Mantle, and his mother and father loved each other a lot.

Casey looked embarrassed with herself as they walked back to her apartment after making sure that her daughter was in the proper place for the day, still not quite meeting his eyes.

“She… Yeah, I’m sorry, I’ll tell her that-“

He shook his head. It was a slip of the tongue, something that made a spark of something shoot through him, that feeling of belonging that came with a sense of family. Winter wanted something like that so badly, but she couldn’t get it easily. Her duty to the military was something that didn’t fade easily, with how the world expected her to act and behave. Even talking to her would be dangerous, let alone doing more than just that. The General would watch her like a hawk, because he’d taken away the one thing that could open the Vault to the Relic that was housed within Atlas.

“It’s… it’s okay. I’m nineteen, and I’m not quite… well, y’know. I might have to go to another Kingdom, or die in the line of duty.”

She kissed his lips, her eyes sad as she parted from him, a mournful look in her eyes.

“I know.”

She knew it, but he knew that he couldn’t stop caring. His family was a heroic one, one that fought for the world to be at peace, heroes that fought and did not stop until the end was witnessed. His father had likened it to ‘being on the job, all the time, a crabby boss who tells you to go to a place and kill stuff with your weapon and then return and get paid a few Lien like a dirty hooker’, which his mother had chided her husband on.

“Don’t… Don’t worry. She’ll not call you that again.”

A compromise, as the woman’s face moved from his as she pushed open the door and turned her head. Her smile was wistful, as she brushed her fingers over the wood.

“Stay safe out there, _daddy_. I’ll… I’ll keep the house nice and tidy, before I’m off to work. I’ll… I’ll see you later.”

He knew that it wouldn’t be something that he’d do, abandoning a child of his. It wasn’t to be until he was free. He was a danger to people around him. He pulled his Scroll out and dialed the number for Nora, hearing the sound of the click from the connection, the faint humming in the air of anticipation, as she appeared to answer the phone.

“Ooh, is this about the election?”

He sighed deeply for a moment, before he gathered himself. It wouldn’t work if things weren’t agreed upon, of course.

“Yeah, I wanted to call and ask how things were. Is Oscar doing okay?”

Nora had been tasked to keep an eye on Ozma’s next host, the soft ‘p-schaw’ sound that she made definitely not something that’d be accepted in polite society under the rules that governed it, but it was _Nora_ , of course.

“He’s fine, he’s fine. Miss Schnee, y’know, the lady you stood with earlier, was offering team RWBY a spot in her home. Blake ran off, and- well, things have been a little hectic. How’s the life in the land of Mantle, huh?”

Nora referred to the encounter that he’d had with Blake and the Happy Huntress earlier, the bad blood between him and Robyn Hill now something unavoidable. It would have been nice if the woman had just stayed put and let the election slide, providing help for Mantle that could be beneficial to the people that they supposedly served, but… well, nothing.

There were no Happy Huntresses volunteering to aid the citizens in need, there were no people who said good things about the Happy Huntresses who really mattered. They had a hideout at one place, Hill owning a residence on the eastern side of Atlas apparently for a ‘retreat’ of sorts to the upper Kingdom, but it was all murky as dark pitch to him.

“Bit of a hubbub with the whole Blake being a Happy Huntress, but hey, I’m not complaining. I’ve enjoyed the benefit of Mantle’s hospitality for a bit, so I’m going to go and see whether I can get something to have for lunch later somewhere, and then find myself something to help the people of Mantle with. How’re you and Ren with your relationship? Is the baby still a thing?”

She made a soft sound of concern, as the language was a reference to the thing with the head. There were hints in it that you could discern if you knew how they worked well enough, something that Ruby might be able to pick up if she was able to listen in on the conversation. She’d spent the sessions on teamwork in the background, mostly, but she’d know their lingo well enough. Ren’s lessons on solace in solemnity had always put him to sleep though, but it was great for relaxing.

“Sure, still a thing. I’ve got the option to put a pill in me to make it go away, but…”

The forced cheerfulness that she had going there was something that he could feel, as she seemed to struggle for a moment, the words not coming easily for her for some reason, the softness of her voice like a small warning, as if she wanted to say something to him.

“We need to _talk_ , Jaune. We need to have a chat, and… and I need you to _listen_. I’ve… I’ve got something to tell you. Remember what I said about the family bit?”

It was important if she was saying it like this, and he was wondering what she could mean.

“The thing we did, at Argus. You’re like family, and we’ve got a little addition to that family coming.”

She wasn’t going to tell him outright, but they would talk about it. There was no secret that could last between the three of them. They were team JNPR, even if Pyrrha wasn’t there anymore. He’d keep them safe, and they’d kill Cinder Fall together, for Pyrrha. For the world to be rid of a dangerous beast wearing human skin.

“Bring syrup. I could eat a ton of pancakes.”

_‘Shit, this is important.’_

He could worry about that later, knowing that his team was safe for the time being but that they wanted to talk to him. He spoke a soft ‘I love you guys’ to Nora, which was reciprocated with a light ‘We love you too, Jaune.’, the faint sound of Ren muttering something in the background, the Scroll call obviously answered from the dorm by Nora, since it was still early in the morning.

* * *

“Mister Arc, a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dirk Pope, but you can just call me Dirk. I’m your campaign staff, graciously sent by the Council of Atlas to ensure that everything will go swimmingly! For Atlas, and our glory to the world.”

He didn’t like the man one bit, his natural smile slipping on his face immediately as his eyes lit up. The time had come to play the eager huntsman, the newly graduated and licensed Jaune Arc. He genuinely cared for the people, but he wasn’t going to trust someone he didn’t know immediately.

“For Mantle and Atlas, of course. I’m glad to work with you.”

He spotted several of the members of staff, dressed cleanly, as the man went and introduced them to him, a woman in her middle years with dark hair with white accents running through it and cream-coloured skin and a set of deep hazel eyes, sitting behind a desk and tapping away on the keyboard of one of the desktops, the holographic text already stating: Councilman Arc: The Future of Atlas!, the woman’s attention switching a little and the woman giving a small nod, as she returned her attention to her work again.

“Crema Gelato, she’s a got experience in the field for three Council elections, getting a- Ah, we shouldn’t bother her too much.”

The woman’s gaze flicked to him and the woman mouthed a quick ‘Shoo’, making a dismissive gesture with her hand. He shook his head lightly, looking at the next woman, an excitable woman with a top that looked like it’d be better fit on someone who was a bit less busty, her eyes bright and blue and her hair a dark shade of maroon.

“Calamari Zone, call me Callie. Sorry, I’m just so excited to meet the guy we’re going to be helping to the top!”

An older man with a moustache that looked a bit like Dr. Watts’ hairy brush came forward, introducing himself as ‘Mario Luigi Verde, plumber, plunger and publicist’, the man’s gloves a pale white colour, Jaune noticing that there was something about the man’s scent that just gave him a homely attitude that didn’t look unsuitable for a man.

“What’s your strategy? Do you want us to canvas the districts that haven’t spoken of supporting you? There are only two days before the general debates, so we can get the message out if we try.”

_‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea…’_

He nodded, pretty certain that it’d at least help a little. The public address that he’d done with Willow earlier yesterday had been something of an impromptu thing, unplanned in the grand design. He’d not planned on making his message known to Atlas, the main goal always having been to make sure that Cinder didn’t get the power of the Winter Maiden and making himself into a target, so that she could try to take him down.

Ren and Nora would help him. A single opponent, no matter how strong, would slip up. His Aura would hold, and this time he wouldn’t deliver a glancing blow, he’d go for the kill, he’d make her feel that pain as she joined Pyrrha wherever she was, only to be shoved right into the burning pits of whatever hell she deserved to be in.

“Make sure that it’s a little subdued, don’t make it into a big thing.”

The people of Mantle didn’t like the large bombastic shows of power and wealth, they liked the earthlier things. A small message with ‘Support Arc’, something that could be shared. Already he’d made strides with the public broadcast of the Schnee Dust Company’s reconstruction of the wall, as afforded by their building license for Mantle. It was all legitimate, nothing that the council could do about it. This was a gift to Mantle, from the Schnee Dust Company.

It’d create work, jobs for the people who were fired due to Jacques Schnee’s policies, people who could mend things, and the market would work with the Schnee Dust Company, because of the power and influence that it held.

“Of course. We’ll have to tailor it a bit to Mantle, but we’ve worked on Councillor Sleet’s re-election campaign before this, so-“

The man was rattling off stuff that didn’t really sound too important to him, holding up a hand, looking at the members of the team that he could see. An ashtray had been filled, on the desk nearby, Dirk’s cigarette case a muted golden tint. A lighter was visible in the man’s pocket, making a large mark.

“Make it something short, something that carries with the people better than an advertisement spot would be. We’ve got two days, two… well, today and tomorrow. If it’s something too broad, it’ll come across as a little tacky. Are any of you from Mantle originally?”

Nobody answered in the affirmative, the woman behind the desk giving a little grunt, clearly distasteful. A long slogan on the screen, already blinking with a Y/N? question below it, deleted with a press of the button, before the woman returned to work.

“That’ll… I think we’ll need to work with what we’ve got. Okay, there’ll be a mine shift coming from the southern mine in the thirty-seventh district in around three hours. If you’ll go there, Callie, and ask them whether they’re willing to support Jaune Arc, see whether you can put some of that energy to use on making them see that their vote for Arc will make Mantle a better place, I think… yeah, that’s the schedule.”

When you worked around the people of Mantle, their schedules sort of started to blur together. Details that he’d nearly forgotten about, including the school days and hours, started to become clearer, once he had a direction in which to seek. With the thirty-seventh district’s mining crew being pulled out and replaced, it’d leave a fertile field for someone with high energy like Callie to be there to just bolster their spirits, playing a bit to the tired masses with the chest that she had, and the look of genuine goodwill on her face to mollify their tired minds a bit.

“If we get some good reception amongst those, they’ll probably be in thirty-sixth up until third, where most of the support was mostly in the mines. Mario, do you think you can go to the first district with a sign, if you can get it printed? Arc for Atlas, Vote!, that ought to be a good short one, affordable on the budget. I think…”

_‘Hmm, didn’t Casey say that there were three print shops in lower Mantle’s districts? We should get the upper district as well, but that’s mostly for the type that voted for Hill…’_

“Dirk, can I impose on you to go and get to the fifteenth district and ask whether they’ll open up a small spot for me to speak at around… fifteen minutes past three? I’ll talk to the people. They voted for one of the other candidates, and if I can bind them to me, I’ll be able to get support from the other districts around it as well, since it’s a major thoroughfare and about ten to fifteen minutes ought to be enough to get the rush for the middle of the shift change done, whilst people can find themselves a moment to listen.”

He knew that he’d need to get those districts for their votes, because they weren’t the type to really vote for the major players in the game. With the election still underway, he knew that he’d be up against Robyn Hill, a woman who got free press for being a bandit, and two other challengers.

“And what about Bernard Sands and Joe Butter? They’re old veterans, representing the Democratic Socialist labour union and the National Democratic Mantle Conservatives.”

He didn’t know much about those two men, except that one looked like he had a bald patch and wagged the finger a lot of times and that the other one had been born around the Great War’s emergence.

“I’ll make sure that they’ll get a fair shake.”

He could at least try to play fair for the election’s sake. Mantle needed a candidate to win fairly, without any meddling in the election. He wasn’t going to make this place be left in the dust. The wall would be repaired, reinforced and strengthened. It would make this place safer.

It was what he should do.

* * *

Weiss noticed Yang more now, as they had their breakfast, Oscar mumbling something of a good morning to her as he sat down at the table, straightening his coat out a little as he smiled at Ruby, the brown eyes looking at Ruby for a moment, who smiled back almost shyly, the Relic clicked to Oscar’s belt.

“And so we were like ‘We’ve gotta chase after it’ and eh, yeah, that’s how we sort of landed on a highway.”

Yang finished it with a punch line, her mother’s smile warm and understanding as Yang shifted a little, trying to look like she wasn’t guilty of anything. Yang hadn’t said a word about last night, the intimacy that she’d felt with the other girl’s closeness having been pleasant, even though the kiss hadn’t meant too much.

“It wasn’t _dangerous_ , Mother. We just tried our best.”

Mother’s laugh was light, as she ran a hand through her hair, her eyes peering into Weiss her own.

“Your father was terribly upset that the Paladin prototypes were stolen. The revenue… Ah, I remember that moment. He said, at least in my presence, ‘What is that stupid girl doing with those prototypes! Those cost money!’ before he stormed off like a child, to talk about ‘refunds’ with the General. That was not a pleasant call, but I enjoyed hearing him rant about the injustice of it all.”

Her mother’s eyes were warmer now as she recounted the experience, Whitley sitting at her side, quiet and downtrodden. She put her hand on his side to get his attention, a physical touch, Whitley flinching away from the touch.

“Are you doing okay, Whitley?”

A small shake of the head, as her little brother shivered a little, not looking very well. He must be thinking about father, and that was something that hung like a pall over them. Yang’s eyes were worried, but she put on the brightest smile.

“How about we go and see whether there’s something to be done around the city, huh? You, me, lil’ sis and your big sis Weiss, shopping for a bit?”

Whitley looked somewhat surprised at the offer, as Yang smiled brightly, the girl’s excitement infectious, as Yang seemed to realize something for a bit.

“Ehhh… Not the really fancy stuff though. I’m not like ‘Schnee Rich’.”

Her mother’s bemused laughter was something that made Whitley look up, her eyes brighter than they’d been before.

“Go and be with them, Whitley. There is no need to be educated in the fine art of business today. Enjoy yourself with your sister and her friends. Miss Xiao Long? I expect my son back home intact, as well as remaining a _virgin_ , please. If you have any wicked ideas on my son…”

Whitley flushed, and Yang turned red in the face, Ruby joining her, as well as Oscar in the redness parade, her mother’s clear laughter somehow highly amusing as well as better than before. It had been a joke, because Yang looked like a girl who might give it a shot if she had been like that.

“No, I will trust you with my child, Miss Xiao Long. Thank you for the suggestion of a shopping trip, it would be a bad thing for my son to be cooped up in the house for too long. Alas, I must suffer the horrible plight of maintaining the company and arranging for the specifics of labour on the walls of Mantle.”

The smile on her mother’s face told her that her mother did not mind that, though she audibly complained about it, her mother’s face showing little concern for the work, and warmth that undoubtedly had come with the happy expectation that she’d be with child.

They walked along the long promenade in the busiest thoroughfare, aware of the people around them, Whitley in the middle, Weiss watching the shoppers just in case, her natural Atlas paranoia due to being a successful singer coming to the fore, the cheerful faces and unconcerned looks visible on the faces of the happy people of Atlas, a contrast to the more dour Mantlean people. Life was good in Atlas.

“So, what do you think will happen with the election?”

Oscar asked, a flash of paranoia making itself known once again. The eyes were still brown, but there was a touch of that aged quality to Oscar’s voice, a sign that Ozma was growing more accustomed to the body. She shouldn’t be paranoid like this, but it was something that she’d grown nervous about.

“Jaune might win. He’s trying to do what’s right.”

She could see that, in his every move. He was just trying to help the people of Mantle, trying to make sure of the world’s safety, killing the Winter Maiden so that the power wouldn’t be taken by Cinder Fall or her sister, to protect them from the curse of magic. His eyes had been resolute and firm, a man who did not flinch away from his responsibilities as a man.

“But is he doing the right thing?”

Oscar spoke up, and Weiss noticed the green in his eyes increase, the look that was much like her former headmaster.

“Do the people of Mantle deserve a man like Jaune Arc? He only got in through the bylaws that were added by the Vytal treaty, something that I-, I mean, Ozma’s previous incarnation, added in order to ensure that he’d be able to be elected to office if it was needed.”

_‘That’s a dangerous line to go in…’_

She sighed softly, aware that this would need to be handled tactfully, lest things blow up even more.

“Whether they deserve a man like Jaune Arc or not, as long as they’re happier… Robyn Hill seems to have just up and left Mantle alone, rather than trying to help.”

Yang looked guilty, and the absence of their team member hurt a little, Weiss felt, Whitley’s softly questioning look making her be reminded that this was an uncomfortable topic.

“But let’s not talk _politics_ , guys. Let’s have fun shopping.”

A cheer from Ruby, her little brother’s eyes brightening just a little, as he followed them into a clothing store. It was time for some shopping to be done.

* * *

“So… Do I look nice?”

Yang was wearing a nice long dress that was in a dark red colour, fitting her womanly curves really well. It was something that was different from the Huntress garb that she wore, the utilitarian design something to be pushed out of mind for a moment when Yang raised a leg and the fabric rippled a little.

_‘You’re just helping a friend.’_

She wasn’t… gay, or anything. Ruby was helping her. Yang kissed better than Ruby did, and she needed the comfort. She wanted Jaune, together with her sister. He’d be a good big brother figure…

_‘Stop, you’re not thinking about having a big brother push you against your bed, Weiss Schnee. Those thoughts are bad, those thoughts are wicked, and you are not moaning for him to fill you with his sperm whilst he’s giving you a vision of heaven.’_

She had a good libido. It was better than what she’d thought sex would be, and she wasn’t too affected by the partner being a man or a woman. Ruby was fun, but she wasn’t _fully_ into girls. Yang… hmm…

“You’re looking _great_ , Yang.”

The smile on her friend’s face did not make her feel a spark of happiness at all, the sensation in her stomach being all aflutter for a moment as Yang pulled herself back into the dressing stall, the shopping trip something that they’d never really done as team RWBY. Blake wasn’t someone who liked to go out and shop, making no incentive to go out and unveil her ears. She was a Faunus, but she’d always kept to the background, as if she wanted to disappear, always cautious of things.

“How do I look, Weiss?”

Whitley asked, looking aesthetically pleasant in the light brown shirt with a nice set of black jeans that’d come after a brief look. It was different from the clear-cut frozen colours that he’d always worn during the time at Father’s side.

“You look nice, Whitley. Are you… are you doing okay?”

The look in her little brother’s eyes was darker, as he looked at her with heavy eyes, a shudder going through him, before he shook his head. He’d seen father when he’d been found, and he’d not been alright, according to mother.

“I’ll… I’ll be fine, Weiss. Father was not a pleasant man. Mother is safe now.”

Their mother was safe, yes. That was the most important benefit to her father having been banished from their lives, the look on Whitley’s face brightening somewhat. She flashed a nervous, uncertain smile.

“Do- do you think mother would like it if we invited Winter tonight for dinner?”

The hesitant look on her brother’s face was uncertain, but she could detect a yearning in his eyes, something that did not stop her from worrying about the fate of her older sister. The man that they loved was now in Mantle, trying to do what he did to safeguard the people, to keep the power of the Winter Maiden out of Cinder’s hands.

_‘We’ll have to go and make a visit to Ren and Nora. I’ve… I’ve got a bad feeling about them.’_

She didn’t know why, but there was something in her stomach that didn’t sit well about Nora’s response to the thought of her mother being pregnant. She had thought that it was just excitement, but with Jaune’s gambit…

* * *

He sat there waiting, the vehicle having been commandeered by Dirk for a bit of a ‘briefing’, aware of the people already aware of the event. It was three in the afternoon, and he knew that he would have the time for it, aware of the efforts put into the campaign. The faintest of outlines for a speech were already being assembled, as Dirk sat opposite of him on the seat, holding a few folders, information that’d just been handled.

“Speak clearly, concisely and make em love you, champ. You’ll do great, there’s a few shifts that’re coming off duty due to the Schnee Dust Company having given its guarantee for work with the Wall, so… Knock em out of the park.”

He got up from his seat, aware of the people that would be waiting for him outside, emerging from the car that’d smelled a little like cigarette butts and lighter Dust, the faint chemical tang of the miners coming from him.

A banner with ‘Arc for Atlas’ had been printed with haste and hung up for the stage, his eyes looking at the people massed there, miners and workers in the chemical district, gathering around the cleared space, as he stepped up to the cleared space.

People made way for him. They saw the armour, the blonde hair and the look on his face, so they parted to let him through. His campaign manager stood at the side, waiting for him to finish the speech that he’d sort of cobbled together, his eyes watching the clock at the square tick, gathering himself a little. This was different than doing it in front of camera’s, with Willow to distract from the camera’s attention.

“It’s Jaune Arc!”

He waved, taking a moment to look at his Scroll, his eyes glancing at the members of the audience, just to be sure.

“People of Mantle, workers and those who have gathered here incidentally. I’m here to ask for your support in the upcoming election!”

He knew that he wasn’t the greatest at impromptu speeches, that was more Ruby’s forte, but he had to bind the people to him, had to make the people see that his way was the best way.

“I’m someone who was raised as a child with seven sisters, someone who was raised on the principles of loyalty to the family, to the ones who dictated what we ate… Let me tell you, I really _don’t_ like sprouts and cabbage, but I still _had_ to eat it, because my mother said ‘You will eat it’ and I never really found a reason to wish for ice-cream or something. I’m not… I’m a Huntsman. I’m not good with the words that I should use, and-“

He paused, knowing for sure that he was rambling, but he was feeling nervous. He knew the ladies whose children he cared for as a Huntsman, the miners being a different batch of people altogether. He was sure that they wouldn’t want to have to hear an empty speech, something that’d make them think that he didn’t mean what he said.

‘I’m better off killing Grimm, honestly. Working for the good of this world, of this Kingdom, where my great-grandmother came from and my grandmother was born. I’m not someone who wishes to assume power because of… well, politics. I’m from Vale. Mantle couldn’t be more different than what I’m used to. I’ve worked with people here, I’ve talked with people here, and I want to make a difference. If I can try to make _your_ life better, I’ll do whatever I can. Atlas, the greatest Kingdom… and that means Mantle _too_.”

He could see that he wasn’t winning the crowd yet. Some people approved of the message he was trying to send, but he could see doubt within their eyes, doubts that had been made manifest by the botched attempts of Robyn Hill and Jacques Schnee to ascend to power.

“Mantle _needs_ Atlas, as Atlas needs Mantle! You mine their Dust, you provide their food in the special greenhouses below the ground. Thanks to Mantle’s heating grid, there will be fewer people who die of the cold, yet Atlas doesn’t see that it depends on Mantle fully, yet. The miners who work are just as important as the bureaucrats up high, those who serve in the military are just as important as the mothers and children here who just want to bring their child home from their school, safe and sound.”

He was rambling again, as he could feel the hope inside him be bolstered. The time was around 3:15, and he could see more of the mining crews come into the street, rough and tumble men and women, dirty and filthy.

“I’m going to see whether I can do something for Mantle _and_ for Atlas. You’re _one_ Kingdom, and Mantle has been left in the shadows. The government plays shadow games, Robyn Hill has been stealing things and not fixing the wall… I’ll fight for Mantle. I’ll fight for Atlas. I’m Jaune Arc, and-“

His Scroll rang. It was the special beep that meant that it was an urgent call. He knew that he had to go and deliver this speech, the ‘dee-delon-da-delon’ the favourite ringtone belonging to Ren, a light little ditty that he’d been humming since they’d been to Mistral.

“And my friend is calling me, undoubtedly to- Sorry, you know how it is, a Huntsman’s always prepared, even when his friends call.”

* * *

Weiss knew that something was wrong when she heard the explosion and the loud scream of rage from Nora, the faint hiss of something exploding, as she pushed Yang aside. Ruby and Oscar had went for the Schnee mansion once more, whilst they had went for Atlas Academy, her hand shifting on Myrtenaster’s hilt as Yang’s Shot Gauntlets were activated.

“Let’s go.”

She caught sight of Cinder Fall before the woman caught sight of her, a blade made out of glass in her hands, blocking the blow from Nora, her eye glowing with the power of the Fall Maiden.

“ _Where_ is the Winter Maiden! She told me that he sent the power elsewhere!”

_‘Who told you?’_

Yang’s face darkened in anger, as Nora groaned, pulling back, Ren moving, Cinder’s body flickering a little as her leg slammed into Ren, who flew back. The fight had just broken out, she guessed, if the ruined room was any indication.

“You’ll never find out!”

Nora’s voice was loud, as Yang darted forward, trying to lend pressure on the Fall Maiden’s attack, hitting Cinder in the side, as the woman’s body moved, the image shattering into thousands of fragments, a multi-coloured woman standing there in the way with Cinder only a small ways away, dealing with Ren and Nora, a familiar hat on her head, an umbrella ready to be wielded, Weiss recognizing her as the woman who’d tried to kill Winter.

“One of you _must_ have my power!”

The woman gave Yang a challenging smirk before she shifted positions, intercepting the blonde and stabbing at her a few times, Weiss pushing a Glyph under Yang to speed her up, her body moving.

“Nope! That’s why he did it, to keep it away from you! He’d never let any of us be harmed by you!”

Weiss watched as Nora swung at the woman again, a blast of physical force slamming against the weapon, as the woman slashed at her opponent, Nora’s Aura flickering. Cinder was targeting Nora whilst keeping Ren at a distance, Yang’s body moving between attack and defence, keeping her opponent on her toes, ready to fight against the opponent that had come for her, her eyes meeting the heterochromatic eyes of her opponent, the umbrella weapon ready to be used against them. Yang was testing the distance, aware that there would be some reinforcements coming by the commotion.

Cinder’s face showed anger and rage, as the woman’s hands formed a blazing flash of light, before the battle ignited into close combat, Nora’s full swings blocked by the woman’s aggressive advance, the dagger-like swords that Cinder had switched to leaving little motion for the full swings, as Ren was kept at a distance.

With their own opponent, Yang kept the woman on her toes, the challenging looks and the shifting of stances, just barely dodging the blows whilst giving an insufferable smirk, the woman’s body moving with the grace of a dancer, always evading and dodging the blows, the umbrella meeting one of Yang’s fists before the woman’s foot lashed out, Yang jumping over the foot and shooting one of the dart-like explosives from the shot gauntlet..

A blast of Dust hit the woman’s side, one of the first that she’d loosened in a time, the Earth Dust hitting like a shotgun blast, as the mute woman’s eyes narrowed and she felt herself assaulted, her body touched by the bladed tip of the umbrella, the aura flicker enough to warn her of her own lower Aura levels.

“TELL ME WHERE MY POWER IS!”

Nora was slammed against a wall, the woman’s fake arm looking as grisly as it always did, her face a mask of rage and frustration, as Nora spat in her face, kicking at her with a foot, the motion barely budging the woman, whose gaze looked around, already spotting reinforcements coming from one of the side-hallways, undoubtedly due some sort of sense of being a stone-cold bitch. A spear, made of dark glass flared to life, pulled out of the cloak.

“You’re going to have to kill me before I tell you anything, you cold bitch!”

Weiss felt the stab, as the burning spear slammed home into Nora’s gut, pinning her to the wall. Blue eyes were wide, as she gasped, her breath coming with a short ‘ughl’, a replica of Pyrrha’s weapon shoved right into Nora’s gut.

“NORA!”

Ren’s scream was loud, as Cinder took a few steps back. Yang watched in horror, as Weiss did as well, the spear's burning shape cooling into hard glass-like crystal, Nora’s eyes looking at it for a moment, before she looked at her.

“Then _die_ like your failure of a teammate, girl. Neo, we are done here. We’re going to get my power, even if I have to hunt down every Arc in the Kingdoms.”

Nora’s gasping was horrible to hear as she gurgled, the pain written on her face as she spat out a glob of blood onto the ground, as her lover and teammate, boyfriend, fiancé… whatever Ren was, came to her side, speaking in a quick, frantic pace, pleading for her to remain whole, to remain intact. Weiss could only hear a few words, before Nora’s face turned bitter, as a pained scream came from her mouth, before the laughter came, higher-pitched and shrieking.

“You don’t _know?_ By the _Gods_ , Rennie… She never even _knew…_ What a laugh, isn’t it? Cinder Fall doesn’t _know_ , haha-ah!”

The woman turned around with anger and an flame blazing in her golden eyes. The eyepatch that hid the mangled eye seemed to smoke a little, as if it were restraining something by force.

“What?! TALK!”

Nora’s laughter was pained and manic, shrieking howls, as the tears rolled down her face. There were students that came closer, Cinder raising a hand and a blast of flame burst through the hallways, forcing them to take shelter. The glove smoked a little after Cinder lowered it. 

Nora’s hand left Ren’s as he was blasted aside, landing in a heap down the hallway, Cinder looking at the laughing Nora.

“He thinks you know, but you _don’t_. What a riot, what a laugh… We’ve been working under the assumption that you _knew_ , but you _didn’t_. Oh… You _stupid_ bitch. He’s going to kill you, and you’ll _never_ find the Winter Maiden’s power.”

Another thin blade was pulled out and stabbed into Nora’s body, the blade wrenched to the side. It hadn’t been a lethal wound, but this one definitely would hurt Nora more.

“Speak! What has that failure of a man done?”

Nora’s eyes were defiant, almost cruel in their look, as the tears came from her eyes stopped, spitting onto the woman’s dress, the cloak covering most of her side, the woman’s eyes darker. Weiss felt the breath in her throat still as she saw the gaze intensify, the burning hate in those eyes as she did it. 

“He’s smarter than you are, Cinder Fall… Gods, and to think that he was so _worried_ … You don’t even _know_. He thought you’d know because you were from Haven, working with Lionheart who had Council access, but- Oh, this is _rich_ , Rennie…”

A pained gurgle, as she seemed to agonizedly take another breath, looking at her lover and teammate. Tears were leaking from her eyes again, as she laughed softly, pained.

“This is so funny, we’re… we’re going to laugh about it when we- When- Boop, Rennie. You ann… an- Jaune… Boop.“

The eyes dulled and Nora’s head slowly fell, her arms lifelessly dangling from where she’d been impaled to the wall, Cinder’s shriek of frustration loud in the air as she departed, but Weiss was focused on other happenings, Cinder’s acquaintance shattering into shards as she too departed.

“Nora… _Nora!_ ”

She watched as Ren grabbed Nora’s hands, the tears streaming down his face as he pleaded, and Yang chased after Cinder Fall and her accomplice. Weiss was torn between lending support to her teammate or to comfort Ren with the loss of his fiancé, watching how he caressed his girlfriend’s hand, the rivalry between Nora and her now buried, and… and the love that he showed for his dead girlfriend’s body. He was whispering something in Mistralian, and she made the decision for herself.

She had to back up her teammate. They were a team and Ruby wouldn’t ever forgive her if Yang was hurt. She threw a glance back at Ren, seeing several students approach the stoic-looking young man, whose hand held his girlfriend’s dead hand, getting up and then turning to the direction where Cinder had been going.

She spotted Cinder at the end of a corridor and then lost sight of her, Yang having rounded the corner and then spotting no-one, apparently. A glare on the blonde’s face was enough to show how frustrated Yang was with events, as she flashed a look at several of the students.

“There’s been an attack, a single death and a lot of damage. Inform Headmaster Iro- Inform Headmaster Branwen.”

Yang’s voice carried, and the student nodded, obeying the orders from Yang, Weiss noticing Ren as he came forward. His outfit was covered in Nora’s blood, his eyes looking dull and emotionless. His hands were red with blood, his pink eyes looking dull before they tried to focus on him.

“Did you… Did you get her? Did you get _Cinder_?”

There was a light tremor in his voice, as the emotions inside him seemed to surge and become hard to handle, the pink eyes looking into her own with a look that was hard to decipher, something that gnawed at her mind.

“She fled. What… What was that what Nora said? What didn’t Cinder know?”

Ren’s eyes looked dark, as he looked into her eyes, a dead expression if she’d ever seen one.

“If he wants to tell you, he will.”

The words were half-serious, as Ruby’s Uncle appeared, the man’s eyes grim, his face looking unshaven and messy, breathing somewhat heavily due to the pace that he’d put into getting there. Ren pushed past her, walking away from them with a halting, jilting pace, his hand pulling a Scroll out of his pocket.

“What happened, kids?”

The man was responsible for her mother’s condition of being pregnant, but she wouldn’t be a bad member of the Huntsmen corps and disobey orders. She'd best do the formal explanation, quivering a little as she did, reminded of the lifeless eyes.

“Cinder came and attacked Nora and Ren, leading to the... Gods, she's dead, Nora's dead. We gave chase until she was able to slip away somehow. It's... _Gods.”_

The look on Qrow’s face wasn’t happy, as he rubbed his chin, trying to understand what had happened, before he seemed to notice that Ren was nowhere to be found. She noticed a trail of blood drips leading away, away from them.

“That was her teammate, wasn’t it? Her boyfriend?”

She nodded, but he might’ve gone back to check on the body, or-

“He’s Mistralian, so he’ll- I know what it’s like, I- _fuck._ “

Whatever that meant, she didn’t know. The man running towards where Nora’s body was was more pressing, as she followed after the Huntsman, the man seeing the body slowly being lowered off the wall, the weapon shattered. Seeing a replica of Pyrrha’s weapon break off with a snapping crackle, shattering into shards of glass, Weiss turned away, shuddering. Cinder had only harmed her and intended to let everyone watch her slowly expire, but Jaune had fixed her… He’d kept her alive, boosted her regeneration enough to let her survive the damage…

“Not here, fuck… Think, Qrow, think… When Summer died, you were looking at that edge, an-“

The man turned and ran in the direction of the exit of the school, the look on his face worried, nearly terrified for Ren’s safety. Yang and her hurried, and they caught sight of Ren walking towards the edge. It was the edge, something which had a seventy-meter long drop, something that wouldn’t be survivable without a parachute or something, Ren peering down at the edge, looking out over the wastes in the distance, his braid fluttering in the wind.

He was talking on his Scroll, looking back at them for a moment at the sound of the people coming closer which made him turn around.

“Don’t do it!”

She heard the man shout, as he turned into a bird, flying straight at Ren in an attempt to pull him away from the edge. A smile that was as dead as the eyes that looked at them, the tears that streamed from the eyes as the loss of someone’s love was the reality for them, Ren turning around as he leapt forward, the dead-still air cold, as she saw the body fly in the air for a brief moment before gravity let it plummet down, Qrow shifting back into human form and looking over the edge, his hand on the weapon that he wielded.

“Fuck. Shit…”

_‘Jaune isn’t going to be happy with this.’_

Her Scroll rang then. She heard the familiar ringtone, and it was Jaune's. Ren had been calling someo-

_‘Oh no… No, no, not Jaune, not again…’_

It was just like with Pyrrha, but now, it was two deaths she had to confirm. Just like when Beacon had fallen.

“H-hello?”

She answered the Scroll and wished that she hadn’t, as his pleading voice reached her ears, desperate and frightened for the safety of his friends.

* * *

“Ren? I’m kind of in the middle of-“

The seriousness in Ren’s voice was real, as the people looked at him judgingly, answering his Scroll in the moment of a speech.

“Cinder came. Nora _died_ because of her, Jaune. I’m… I’m going to join her. I don’t want to live in a world without her. I love you like a brother, Jaune. We'll wait. Send her to us, and... and good luck. Good luck with everything.”

_‘No!’_

He didn’t care about the people around him anymore, or about the speaker that’d broadcast his words to the masses. He didn't care about how he looked, about what it would do for his campaign efforts.

“Ren, don’t! Please, please… Don’t- I’m… I’ll come and-“

Ren said something, but fear made him only recognize them after a moment as the Mistralian version of ‘I’m sorry’, as he heard someone shout loudly – ‘Don’t do it!’ – and then just static after a cracking sound was heard.

“The other device has lost signal. Reconnecting.”

_‘Ren… Nora…’_

The tears came, as the rain droplets pelted him and those around him as he felt the grief go through him, his voice making a low, groaning moaning sound, as he fiddled with the Scroll, hyperventilating. He could see people give him looks of pity, of understanding of what had just happened. He found Weiss her number, right below Pyrrha’s former number.

She answered it, his voice pleading as he spoke.

“Weiss? Weiss? What happened to Ren and Nora? Please? Tell me that they’re alright, _please_!”

He felt someone touch him as his hair was brushed through by the wind, the rain droplets from the precipitation hitting him in the face, mixing with his tears. The coolness around him was like a biting chill, as he looked up to Atlas up high, an island in the heavens, as he hoped that it wouldn’t be true.

“I’m… I’m _sorry_ , Jaune. Cinder came and… Nora, Nora d-died because of her. Ren decided to… to take his own life. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Jaune, I’m-”

She was being factual, she was trying to spare his feelings by telling it like it was, just like how it’d been reported to him. His campaign manager was tugging at him, saying something that it’d be time to take a break, that it was bad news but…

“Thank you, Weiss. I’m… I’ll be at the funeral. Please… recover his body, okay? They deserve to be put to rest together.”

He sobbed aloud as the tears came and his breathing turned to hyperventilating, as he shut the call off, grabbing the microphone again and gritted his teeth, forcing him to remain calm. The snow fell once more down on him as his tears flowed, his breath warm and damp in the cool air of the Mantlean afternoon, as he looked at the people that had come to this impromptu speech and recruitment drive for the movement. 

“People of Mantle, citizens of this fair Kingdom that was once the crown jewel of Remnant!”

He was _alone_.

He was all alone in this world again, everyone he had been on a team with was _dead_.

Nora, Pyrrha and Ren.

_‘We’re with you, Jaune.’_

_‘Do you believe in Destiny?’_

_‘You’re like a brother to me too, Jaune.’_

“I am Jaune Arc and I stand before you as the last remaining member of Team JNPR of Beacon. I graduated as a Huntsman recently, and I am now running for the Council seat that was freed up after Robyn Hill and Jacques Schnee botched their elections. Show me your support, Mantle.”

He took a deep breath, as his blue eyes shimmered with the tears that still streamed down his cheeks, freezing as they reached his chin due to the cold around him in this frozen world, the heating flickering a little as the crews shifted, the chill of Mantle’s crumbling infrastructure making the people shiver.

“I stand here before you, a man who has just heard of the loss of his team. A saying, told to me by my grandmother’s mother, speaking of the greatness of Mantle, comes to mind. Mantle does not crack! Mantle does not break!”

His pain whirled inside him, as he looked at the people and raised his hand, balling it into a fist. He looked at the people around them and he gazed at their faces, the armour of Nicholas Schnee giving him that image of a man who had once revitalized Mantle before.

“Jaune Arc, _does not_ break, Mantle! Jaune Arc does _not_ shatter, like some sort of weakling! The Kingdom of Atlas will never crumble, as my grandmother said! MANTLE DOES NOT CRACK! MANTLE RISES! Vote for me and you will have a _voice_! I will speak for Mantle, for Mantle is no _slave_ to the whims of the elite!”

The people raised their fists in support, as he felt with them. He could feel only the cold flames of hatred within him as he remembered his team's faces, remembered how Nora had laughed and smiled, Ren’s soft ‘But does that really matter?’ whilst Pyrrha had understood, obviously, being Mistralian herself. She'd been the first to know, after all. She'd always been there to support him, during the darkest of times and the best of times.

Cinder Fall would die and he was not going to stop until she laid dead before him. The people of Mantle had been remembered that they were _not_ cowards who would wait for the butcher to come and butcher them…

_“A small spark, and they rise up… So easily, Jaune, a crowd can be won. Give them unity, give them purpose… and you will have an army. Now… What do you say to another game of chess? It’s always important to know the true games of the people…”_

He checked his Scroll for the time and he straightened out, aware of the time. It was half-past three now, and he would need to keep his promise to the children.

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, I will have to keep my promise to a young girl, that I’d be there to keep her safe as she makes her way from school to her home, as well as other children. Mantle’s children are its future, and if we cannot seize a hold of the future, we are doomed to repeat the past. One Mantle, One Atlas! Hill may leave you to drown when things get dire, but I am someone who will do what he must! Mantle does _not_ crack, ladies and gentlemen, and we stand _united_!”

He looked at his campaign manager, the man’s face showing a level of seriousness, as people started to carry the chant. 

“Mantle United!”

His cloak fluttered in the breeze as he got into the car, as the people went on their way, the car moving through the streets slowly, his campaign manager looking serious.

“Good job, though the Mantle does not crack is… _dicey_. You might get accused of being a nationalist, but since you’re foreign-born, they can’t exactly critique you on your family’s views. Lots of migrants, after the Great War.”

He stepped out of the car at the school, putting on a smile on his face again as he walked to the school, already preparing himself, a dull-faced Huntsman with a stop sign standing there.

Cinder Fall was responsible for the deaths of his team. Cinder Fall, a woman whose strength laid within her use of the Maiden powers within her, would be coming for him, he guessed. If Ren and Nora had been attacked, that'd mean that someone had told about the assassination of the Winter Maiden. 

_'It seems that there is a traitor in our midst...'_

"Good afternoon, your friendly neighbourhood Huntsman here, to guard the kids on their trip home." 

He wouldn't show weakness to the children. The mothers looked as vibrant as they smiled at him, and he kept his face in that look that would show his care for them and their children.

They didn't know.

Not yet.

He had to go to a funeral tomorrow, so he'd be the Huntsman and hero that they needed.

* * *

**Not even proper planning could stop Cinder Fall... I guess the fun's gone out now. It's a party, people. I guess some people will be going like 'Yay, he suffers'.**

**This officially sinks Nora's Arc, I'm afraid. I really liked their dynamic, but she wasn't going to survive Cinder Fall's attack. A pity, really. The funeral is in the next chapter.**

**Have a great day, and stay strong during the Corona pandemic.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like.**


	17. A funeral party.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath and the collapse of Jaune Arc, including Weiss meeting a familiar Faunus. Oh, and a new perspective enters the gallery.

**I am back again, with an update. Enjoy.**

* * *

The smile on his lips as he shepherded the children was wooden and empty, as he tried his best to keep the look on his face that was the happy Huntsman who gladly did something for the people, aware of the haunting that came with how it settled on his face. The pain inside him couldn’t be described in words, Nicta tugging his arm a little as they were at her address, the gloomy cobbled streets drawing the darkness out of him, her eyes looking at him with a question in her eyes.

“Cas, you mind continuing along to your home? This big bad boy here needs to have a word with me, and...”

Casey’s smile was something warm and friendly in this cold and frozen world, her eyes never judging him, even though he was alone in this world. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora were gone, already buried within the depths of his heart and the knowledge that he’d had of things about them, the things that made them unique and vibrant.

“Jaune, your friends...”

She looked at him for a moment and then gave a deep sigh, as she pulled her Scroll out. A notification of the Atlas Academy, pulled open, showing the status report of two deaths.

“They came to me, just... Just before you made it your time to go out. I’ve been called up to perform the autopsy. No matter what... Just know that we’re here for you as well, Jaune. We’re here and Mantle does not let one of our brothers fall. You’ve made a wall be put up, reinforced with the aid of the Schnee Dust Company, and... and that’s _more_ than we could have hoped for.”

He looked dully at the woman, his eyes glinting with a deep dark hopelessness in them, aware that Cinder Fall had come for them, that she’d brought out the danger that had come for them, and that Nora had died for them. Why Nora? Why would Cinder Fall even target Nora, when Ruby was around?

_‘It doesn’t make sense, but they are dead... they are dead.’_

“Jaune, what I’m doing is highly illegal, but... you don’t deserve to suffer. It’s just a... just a quick examination of the bodies, and then we’ll be able to let them rest, okay? Just... Just stay strong for a few more days, and we’ll see about getting you happy again. You can... you can use this to get the seat, to use this tragedy to your advantage, I was told, I-”

Nicta’s voice was understanding, as he walked into the clinic with her, aware of the deaths of his friends, which he was now starting to realize. The pain inside his heart didn’t stop as he let his mind wander more about the world that he’d left behind, the people of Atlas. Had it been worth it, taking the Maiden’s power from Winter? Was it really worth the effort, all for a woman that he loved?

He could have a sort of family with Casey, if he really wanted to. There was enough to worry about with the life in Mantle, even if Casey only wanted to use him for his company, the weight of his crimes already leaning down on his back.

“I don’t know... It all- it all feels meaningless. It feels like I’ve been stumbling in the darkness, trying to do my best and finding only death around me. Everyone dies...”

A death-borne weight on his shoulders, as he felt her wrap her arms around him and heard her sigh deeply. She was warm, even as the blizzard in his heart raged.

“When I helped you with the psycho bastard, I _knew_ what I was doing was illegal. It wasn’t something more than just a bit of payback to him, and... and I’ve been thinking about what I’ve done in the past few days. I’m going to be going to Atlas soon to inspect the bodies, I’m not... I’m one of the few morticians who can do this, ever since Old Mondrian died. Just... focus, okay? Focus on winning the election. Win it, and _do_ something with that power. They want you to _win_ , Jaune.”

He looked at her, and he could see the trust in her eyes, her hands on his breastplate, the weight of pain that he felt, as he cried. It wasn’t gracious, it wasn’t something that came from the unknown, as he realized how alone he was. The woman’s arms wrapped around him tighter as the tears came, his breathing halting and gasping, the woman’s soft shushing words enough, as she grabbed a hold of him and guided him to a bed, leaving him to be alone in his grief as she pulled on her jacket again, her eyes gazing into his own.

“This is not the end, Jaune. Your teammates said that I should take care of you whilst they were gone, and I will.”

Life didn’t feel like it had much value anymore. He could feel nothing but the numbness that he felt, as he realized that he was all alone once more, that there was nothing in this world that could fix that hurt, the power of the Winter Maiden still not something that would be worth the death of his closest friends.

_‘Why? Why would you engage with Cinder, even if she came to you? Why would you do that, Nora and Ren? I’m... I don’t understand.’_

“Hey, Jaune? I’ve got to go. I’ve put Mustachio under for the rest of the afternoon, not that he’ll be able to _go_ anywhere, really, but... you should go home with Casey and rest. Tonight, maybe tomorrow morning, you’ll be called to Atlas, and...”

An expression on her features that was softer than before, as she brushed her arms over him. She looked into his eyes and then sighed.

“I’m going to say some words that were said by a woman that still holds some respect here in Mantle, Jaune. Mantle doesn’t crack. Mantle does not crack, Mantle does not break. Be hard like rock and cold like ice, Jaune.”

He hugged Nicta for a long moment and he sighed. The bottle of bright blonde hair dye disappeared into her doctor’s bag and he could spot a green hair dye bottle next to it as well as the medical tools in the bag, as well as the long knife-like edges, as she watched him with hopeful eyes, as if the world wasn’t a terrible place right now.

“My great-grandmother said those words. She delivered the speech before the palace of the royal family and...”

Nicta’s face showed her surprise with that bit of information, but Jaune didn’t care anymore whether the woman thought ill of him. The past was the past, and he did not stop loving the woman who had been his great-grandmother for as long as he’d known her.

“And she was a _great_ general, no matter what people said about her. People would call us the devil’s children, but we are _still_ proud of her! My grandfather was a hero, my great-grandfather was another hero, and there was only the perspective of history that could label them as ‘wrong’. He loved his Kingdom and she loved hers.”

Nicta’s fingers brushed through his hair, and he could feel nothing but the darkness swallowing him, the weight of a hundred pounds of despair resting on his shoulders. A hero was many things. He would save the women that he loved, the team that he so adored, but it was all futile now.

Winter was no longer there, Nora had never gotten the opportunity to tell him what was so very important that they absolutely needed to talk to each other, and Ren had decided to kill himself, the feeling of the heavy weight on his shoulders making his tears come ever faster, as he sobbed deeper.

_‘Guys...’_

He felt nothing but that stark despair go through him, aware that he was now fully alone, that he lived in a cruel and cold world.

“Jaune... I’ve got to go and work on the bodies. They’ll both be in the Atlas Academy morgue. When you see them... Just... just take a _good_ look, okay? They’re there, and they’ll burn away in the incinerator at the funeral.”

She was trying to comfort him, and he smiled softly, as she tried her best and failed. The pain inside him continued with that stabbing burning sensation, the hurt accomplishing only enough to make him feel that whole sweltering weight of his aura, too much for most people, as Pyrrha had said. He felt lost, and for a moment, he considered quitting it all and just escaping from Atlas, to leave it to its fate.

_‘I’m...’_

He could feel only the darkness inside him welling up, that pain of the heart continuing to burn in his stomach, the pain showing clearly that he still could feel emotions, that there was no end yet to the torment inside him. He had managed to kill the Winter Maiden, had beguiled Winter and the General with some creative misdirection, and it had cost him Nora and Ren, his only two partners in the world.

Cinder Fall should not have been able to penetrate that far into Atlas Academy, he knew the layout of the building and it would be tough even for a Happy Huntress with an invisibility Semblance but it was something that made him worry for the safety of others, the weight growing even more intense on his back as he felt crushed. As Nicta shut the door to her clinic and got her medical license out, he accompanied her to the air docks, watching the airship land. She turned for a moment and gave him a hopeful smile.

“Just a few days, Jaune. Don’t be afraid of what you see. They’ll be taken care of well, I promise.”

He felt the pain still, as the tears came from his eyes and he walked to Casey’s home. He didn’t even care about the follower that he had, the badge with the winged goose on it or whatever Robyn Hill’s emblem was, standing out against the lapel on the woman’s cut uniform. Everything felt like the darkness had swallowed it, the whole breadth of pain continuing to hurt him and make him ache.

Nora and Ren were _gone_. They were gone, Nora had died because of Cinder Fall, Ren had decided to kill himself by jumping off Atlas Academy. He could feel the tears frosting on his face as he pushed open the door, Casey looking up from her dinner preparations to look at him, her daughter currently spread out over the couch. She looked up and spoke up, which made him feel worse.

“Hey there, daddy. Did you have a good time with Miss Nicta? She's a doctor, she'll fix eeeeeverything!”

He tried to go for a smile and something that hid the pain her felt, he really did. He really did try to smile, the pain in his eyes as he tried it but he just collapsed to his knees, his lip trembling at the pain that he went through. They were _gone_. They were gone and not coming back. Not even the Relic would be able to bring them back to him, or whatever...

The pain of his heart, of what had been happening, as a sob came from his lips and Casey’s hands brushed through his hair as if he were a child needing comfort, as he grabbed a hold of her, feeling as weak as a kitten, his whole body shivering and tensing up. He had done so much that he didn’t morally agree with, and it had cost him his best friends, his team.

“What’s wrong, Jaune?”

He could hear her daughter worriedly ask her mother, as his head laid against Casey’s stomach, his arms holding on to the woman as if he were a drowning man.

“My team _died._ Th-they... They died, that _stupid_ bitch killed them!”

Anger for Cinder Fall flared within him, even greater than before, as the tears started to slowly dry up, his breathing growing deeper, as Casey’s hands rubbed over his scalp, the weight of his head against her not even a worry, as he moaned in pain that wasn't physical, but rather pain of the heart.

“That’s how it goes... Jaune, take as long as you need. I’m here for you, my brave Huntsman.”

The words were comfort, as his heart ached and bled, the pain inside him like a thousand of ice-crystals stabbing him. He wanted to get vengeance, to get pain and something more out of the world that had maligned him. He wanted to tell James Ironwood that he should have known, that he hadn’t anticipated the events, that he’d lied.

Jaune was guided to a chair that he’d sat in before, the food put in front of him, eating slowly as the tears still came. It had been made with love, with the affection that someone held for him, even though he deserved none of it, like the world had not owned him anything. Ren and Nora were gone, and he knew that there was only something that could be called a bleeding hole in his heart.

“Jaune? A-are you okay?”

Casey’s daughter was talking to him, as his eyes fell onto the innocent face. It was a pain in his heart that he felt, as she hugged him. The armour of Nicholas Schnee was still being worn, so the girl’s touch did not touch his skin, and his eyes just could not stop their crying.

He wasn’t someone who thought the world would end like this. Nora and Ren knew the plan. They’d pull Tyrian’s head out when they'd see the symbol, state that they’d caught the man unaware, nothing that was the factual untruth, and they’d show the people of Atlas that there was a real threat inside their walls, their vaunted safety...

_‘No...’_

“I’m... I’ll get better, sweetheart. It’s just... Just a very bad day.”

She looked at him and then placed her small hand in his own. It was a soft touch, the metal of his gauntlets letting the warmth of her hand flow through him.

“Mommy smiles at you like she’d said that she’d smile at her prince. Keep us safe, Jaune.”

He couldn’t stop the tears still. He couldn’t stop the tears as the frozen blizzard that’d frozen his heart chilled him even more, the tears dripping down his nose, as the girl tried her best to calm down, the mess of emotions inside him bubbling and rippling. It was so hard to work with the assurances that things would be okay.

“I will keep you safe.”

He would protect them, even if things didn’t work according to plan. The power was outside of Cinder’s hands, and he’d been... He’d _kept_ it out of Cinder’s hands. He’d made sure that there was nobody in Atlas who bore the power of the Winter Maiden, so she wouldn’t get it.

His Scroll sounded, a familiar ringtone. He answered it, and he felt the darkness swallow him, the despair once more coming as he answered with a heavy laden voice.

“Hello... Winter.”

His heart had frozen again, as the tears came with greater volume, the woman’s soft voice speaking the words that he was not ready to hear yet, the burning sensation in his chest like a physical punch that he felt the pain from.

“I... I heard about your- Your team. I’m... The General doesn’t know I am calling you, and- and I am just- Jaune, listen to me-“

He looked down at his plate, still half-filled with the cooling stew, the agony in his heart continuing, as he began to feel the pain.

“You are not... You are _not_ going to fall. I’m- I’ll hunt down Cinder Fall with you, f-for your team. The Winter Maiden’s powers are gone, and- and I am sure that she knew, I- Weiss told me, she told me about how your team and Ruby Rose moved through Anima.”

Weiss would tell her sister about him, he knew. The pain didn’t lessen. It just intensified.

“You’re wanted for the identification, once the medical examiner releases their bodies for viewing. She’s from Mantle, a Miss Nicta-“

He tuned out the words, as he felt so alone. His heart broke, as Winter’s quiet voice was morose, and she paused at the end of the formal sentences.

“I’m... They loved you, Jaune. Miss Valkyrie, she threatened me with her hammer if I hurt you like that again, and- and I’d like to think that they were with you until the end.”

He didn’t know anymore. Everything was hurt and pained.

“Thank you, Winter. I’ll... see them tomorrow morning. Let’s... Let’s get them burned, together.”

His hand hit the table with a loud sound, the metal denting somewhat as he felt the pain go through him, the agony pushing through his body as he felt the pain there, Casey’s daughter looking worried and concerned, like a girl her age should. He felt the pain in his chest explode and he started to weep once more. Casey’s hand guided a spoon to his lips, and he opened his mouth, tasting only the ashes and the death that’d been dealt to his friends.

“Sweetheart, Jaune should sleep early. He’s got something to do in the morning, and he’ll not be able to guide us to the school because of it. Come on, off to bed with you.”

The girl didn’t complain as she was ushered to bed, and Casey’s fingers pulled on his hand, guiding him to her bedroom, undoing the straps of his armour without speaking up and then setting him down on the bed before she started to undo her clothing.

“No, Casey, I’m...”

Her eyes blazed angrily. She looked into his eyes and pushed him down.

“Shit _happens_ , Jaune. People _die_! Do you think I dealt with it by potting up my grief? Let me comfort you. _Let_ _me!_ ”

Her eyes dripped tears down onto his chest, as her hands pushed him down and his underwear was disappeared with a tug, the woman’s eyes dripping with wetness, droplets splattering onto her chest, the burden that he felt, as she grabbed his manhood.

“We’re going to have _sex_. You’re going to come, you bastard, and you’ll feel _better._ Live for the moment and fuck all of that pain into me. I know what I am. I know who I am, and you need _warmth_ , rather than the pain inside of you. So, enjoy and forget the pain for just a moment, Jaune, because you’re my bitch for tonight, the bastard who’s going to be ramming a cock in this whore’s body.”

Her aggressive words didn’t stop there, her eyes glinting, as her touch made him tingle and she made him harden using her mouth.

He caved in first, his fragile emotions already on the edge, as she took him. It was grief and pain welling up, the bed squeaking and creaking, her mouth making sounds that didn’t belong in any polite woman’s vocabulary, telling him to use her to fuck the pain away, to feel how someone loved him, rather than to remember those who died because of some fool.

He sagged down on top of her after the sixth time, the pain did not lessen one bit. A deep sound came from his throat as the tears dripped onto Casey’s back, her body pressed against the bed, legs spread somewhat, her head turning towards him and whispering soft nothings at him, accepting him.

_‘Ren, Nora...’_

The names, their faces, the sweet things that they’d done at Beacon with Pyrrha ever-exasperated about some of their antics. Nora had wanted to tell him something, she’d wanted to bring something to his attention but he didn’t know.

He didn’t stop, Casey’s sounds continuing, urging him onwards without restraint, her bed having a wet spot from the amount of juices that’d leaked out of her. He felt nothing but the void inside him, as he knew that there was nothing but the emptiness for him to remain. Nora and Ren were dead.

“Jaune, please...”

He felt Casey’s hands pull his head closer and she kissed him. It hurt. He had lost his teammates, he’d lost everything that had kept him safe and sane. The murder of Tyrian Callows was something that had been the thing that bound them together, the burden that they felt on the eve when they set out on the path towards the murder of Jacques Schnee and attempting to kill the Winter Maiden. The power should not have gone to Winter, because she was special.

He collapsed on top of her, crying once more, and the woman’s hands just held him, shushing him softly with her words. He just tried to squash the hurt, as tears leaked from his eyes onto the skin of someone who cared.

* * *

Weiss Schnee was not someone who would leave things to chance. As she walked through Atlas Academy’s halls, still numbed by the death of two of her friends, she could feel the tension grow through her.

“Weiss?”

Yang’s voice was quiet, as Weiss walked to the spot where Nora had died, the cleaning staff already trying to pull the last fragments out of the wall, whereas Nora’s body seemed to have been carried away by someone, Ren’s body still in the process of being hauled up, the student body restless.

“Do you... Do you feel like you’re lost, too?”

Yang’s voice was like a light in the darkness to her, as she realized just how alone they were. Ruby still didn’t know what had happened to the team members of team JNR, Jaune must be a mess right now. The bloodstains still hadn’t faded, and there was still that remark from Nora.

_‘What did Cinder Fall forget?’_

She couldn’t think on much, but there was the ugly feeling inside her that things were happening outside of her grasp. She could see the students move, the people continuing on as if nothing had happened, as if there wasn’t something wrong with this whole world where two of their friends had died.

She could see a woman sit on a bench with her husband, straddling his lap, the woman’s fingers tangled in her man’s hair, kissing him deeply on the lips whilst her body did a slow gyrating motion, the woman’s breathing louder as they came closer. A large lance was set up against the bench, obviously one of the Huntsmen’s weapons, a thorny whip-blade wrapped around the woman’s thigh, the soft moans coming from her lips making it pretty obvious about what was happening, if the smell of sex didn’t clue Weiss in.

In broad daylight, two people were having sex, undoubtedly flaunting regulations. The man’s dark brown hair had shades of blonde running through it, whilst the woman’s very ashen blonde hair shifted a little as the woman’s head laid back and she gasped, the man grunting something in some sort of low guttural speech.

“Hmmm, meine Liebe, I love you. It’s going to be another six hours, before we’ll be free... How about we change venues a little? It’s been _such_ a while since we were in Atlas, after all.”

The man’s voice was somewhat familiar in his tone, as he pulled his girlfriend off him, and she averted her eyes. That was most definitely not a small penis. She had totally not seen it flop, and she was...

“Teammates, Sel. They’ll be out of here soon enough. Remember that we’ve got a mission to go on.”

Yang stepped forward, trying to get their attention, her cheeks flaming red.

“H-hey, you shouldn’t... I mean, it’s not polite to-“

The two looked at Yang with a look that clearly showed how little they cared for her opinion, the woman’s thin dress showing her pale skin, the red eyes looking at her.

“Oh, it’s a nice blonde. Are you lost, little girl?”

The woman definitely was around the age of her mother, and the man definitely was around the age of her father, as he tidied himself up a little, the awkwardness of the situation banishing the sadness that she felt.

“No, but- But you can’t just do that here.”

The woman got up, and Weiss got a flash of blonde-white pubes, as the dress fell back into place, Yang flinching back with the woman suddenly tapping against her cheek, a fingernail prodding against her, a set of red earrings with silver working visible, shaped into a single arch, something written on it.

“Why not? It’s a free Kingdom, and there’s nobody harmed by me loving my husband a little more. It’s been three hours since he’s shown me his love.”

The smell of something mixing with the sweat, Dust of some sort, hung around the woman, the older woman’s shape still in its prime. She’d be an experienced huntress, as her husband obviously seemed to see the problem.

“Selena, honey, we’ve got to get the kids first before we get a moment to ourselves. You know that they’re only nineteen, think about them...”

The man’s voice was definitely a little lower than she’d expected, and she looked at the woman, who looked at her, sniffing the air around her, the unnatural glow in the woman’s eyes something that brought a shudder to her mind at the thoughts that surfaced in her brain at those eyes leering down at her.

“You’ve had sex with my husband!”

The finger pointed at her and she gave a soft ‘eh?!’, the woman’s husband startling a little. Jealousy wasn’t something strange to Weiss, but it’d never been something that came that far out of the blue.

“Selena, I wouldn’t cheat on you, my treasure... Think of the children that we have, do I look like a man who would go anywhere near a woman like her? Rosy always said that you’re too quick to judge... Didn’t you strangle her boyfriend when you thought he was checking you out? I did not like the eyeliner...”

The woman’s eerie eyes did not stop regarding her, the finger pointing in her direction, the anger on the woman’s face clearly showing.

“No, I can smell you on her! You’ve been cheating on me again, haven’t you? Mother told me that I should have had better taste, but I just _had_ to marry you when I got pregnant with your second daughter, you big-cocked bastard!”

The names didn’t say much, but she was sure that the woman might have something to say to her more, as the red eyes fixed her.

“Honey, I _swear_ , I didn’t touch the girl. I’ve never cheated on you, you know that mother would have hung me in the dungeon if she thought I was cheating on you, which I have most certainly _not_. Perhaps you’re just smelling me, we were pretty intimate earlier...”

The woman shook her head, mumbling something under her breath about being sure of it, because the smell was familiar. Weiss wondered if she should start investing in a stronger perfume.

“And we’re going by the store to buy one of those Arc for Atlas pins, Leonhard! That blonde little bastard’s got _guts_ , trying something like that with limp-balls and Irondick and Cammy the snow clown. Sorry, I might’ve been mistaken about you being with my husband, girl. Accept my apologies.”

The woman’s quick mood swing was something that was unexpected, as she turned to her husband and then kissed him, hooking her leg around his waist and grinding herself against her husband, the woman’s head turning to the two of them, Yang giving a small look of incomprehension of the sudden changes of mood.

“Well? What are you two gawking at? It’s not the time for a foursome and I’m not sharing my husband with _you_ two sleazy girls. He’s _mine_. He put babies in me and he’s not going to be shared! Find your own stud!”

The wedding ring on the woman’s finger was an opulent golden one, a similar arch as her earrings present. The woman’s tongue slid over the man’s cheek, the blonde scruff making him look rather fetching, and Weiss felt a dash of worry go through her mind at the thought of Jaune, now all alone.

“We’ll... go on ahead. I... I hope you two have fun, Mister and Miss...”

The woman smirked, looking at her with a look that held a jealous glint. Weiss didn’t really want to be around the woman much anymore.

“We’re just waiting for our teammates, young kids who need a bit of guidance, having just graduated and thinking they know they are hot shit. Have a good evening, Miss Schnee.”

The man’s voice was dependable, and she could feel the worrying feeling increase, knowing that Jaune must be feeling like the world had just crumbled below him, the world that he had tried to protect, with his teammates dead. Yang looked uneasy, as the older woman dragged her husband into the women’s restroom, a woman emerging a minute later whilst frowning, mumbling something about over-eager lovers, Yang glancing at her.

“They must be like team FNKI. Weirdoes...”

She dialled the number for her sister immediately, uncaring about what Yang wanted to do, knowing that Winter would need to know what had happened.

“Weiss, I’m... I’m kind of busy right now. The General has me working on a solution against the Grimm, and-“

Weiss took a deep breath before she spoke.

“Jaune’s team-members died. Cinder Fall came and-“

She paused, aware of the pain that he was undoubtedly feeling, that Winter would be feeling, as the bloody sight of Nora impaled against the wall could make her. It had been at the hips, a place where it’d been pierced right through, and Cinder had stabbed again in a rage.

They were dead. They weren’t coming back. They’d never talk to her again.

She felt horrible, as the shivers went through her body at the realisation that she’d... she’d just gone along, acted normal as if there wasn’t anything wrong, just like when the nice director she’d always been getting some candy and a kind word had been killed by the White Fang and father had installed a wicked man who cared not.

_‘Oh gods, they’re... they’re really dead.’_

“And Jaune’s teammates _died._ R-Ren took his own life. I’m- I’m just so- C-Can’t you... do something?”

The weight of the emotions was felt once again as she realized that her friends were dead, and she trembled a little. It felt so surreal, so impossible that the bright and cheery Nora would have been ended by a cruel woman like Cinder.

Winter’s voice sounded hesitant, as if she was trying to deliberate on the course of action to take. She knew that Jaune loved his teammates, that they were all that was left of team JNPR, something that had been torn apart even further because of Cinder’s actions.

_‘Jaune is crushed...’_

“I’ll... I’ll give him a call, when I can get away for a moment. I’m- We increased security just so it would be safer, and-“

Her sister shut the connection, clearly not feeling like she had any sort of control over her voice, the pain in the woman’s words showing through in her trembling tone. She had loved Jaune Arc. She’d loved Jaune Arc, and Weiss felt bad.

“Do... Do we go to him?”

Weiss shook her head at Yang’s suggestion, aware that Yang was asking her for leadership, because Ruby wasn’t there. Ruby hadn’t been there much lately, always trying to help the world, but it was not enough. Jaune was hurting and she could not help it.

“No, I’m... We should go and- and find something to do. Call- Call Ruby, and say that we’ll need to meet up. We need to- we need to get ready for a funeral.”

* * *

He woke up to the feeling of Casey trying to wriggle free from him, her body looking bruised, the shiver from her as he pushed his Aura through her, his eyes looking into her own. The heater had stopped working mid-way through the night, and he felt nothing but the pressure on his back of that weight.

He checked his messages, noticing one call by Nora Valkyrie, sliding it to the side. It was all a dream, a _horrible_ dream. He could feel Casey move, brushing her arms over his upper body, trying to make his pain go away.

“I feel dead. They are dead, Casey.”

She made a shushing sound, her body moving up and down, trying to warm him up. He could that the radiator had frozen over, the sight of the frost on the window and the chill in the air yet another sign of the temperature dropping. It would be cold outside, as it was cold within his heart. The blood within his body felt sluggish and slow, as if he had been shattered into pieces and the blood had frozen over.

He had dreamed of Ren and Nora, ready to talk to him, the weight on his shoulders not shifting one bit, as he watched the sky once more turn to the bright red colour, his eyes watching without remorse as he saw the red colour.

“Do you really have to go, Jaune?”

Her voice was soft in the background, as she laid with her body against his own, a low guttural sound coming from her throat like an ‘ughn’ that lasted, her eyes worried. The power of the Maiden, if he could have transferred it anywhere else, he would have.

“I have to go. I need to identify the bodies, Nicta said that she would be doing the autopsy.”

He got into the shower with her, her hands dutifully washing his body like a girlfriend or wife should, reminded of his father’s own showers with his mother, which usually turned into lengthy affairs with occasionally the shriek of laughter from his mother as her father tickled her in the place where she was the most sensitive.

“I love you.”

The words were cold and lifeless to him as he left the house, the tears coming from his eyes, aware that he had loved a woman once, that he’d been in love with Winter Schnee, who had been a bright spot, before the curse of the Maiden had fallen onto her as well.

He didn’t respond, as he took the flight up, mumbling his destination quietly, as he got into one of the transports along the rail, the weight on his soul growing even heavier, as he stepped up to the Academy. Ren had committed suicide here, Nora had died, just as Beacon had been Pyrrha’s grave.

Cinder had done this. Cinder had done this and it hurt. He didn’t know how things would turn out, the shaking of his shoulders not quite stopping, even as he could see the snow fall down on Atlas, the heavy tread that he took as he moved towards the Academy’s inner state.

Qrow stood there, decked out in his Huntsman gear, the blade at his hip, looking like he really wished that he’d be somewhere else.

“Hey, kid... I’m sorry.”

Jaune felt sorry as well. If he’d just been able to let go, his team would be safe and Winter might be dead because of Cinder Fall, but it was all for nothing.

“They died.”

The man’s hand pulled out a flask, the sloshing loud in the quiet of the early morning, aware that there was to be a funeral.

“It’s cranberry juice. Helps to- to forget a little. Not a drink I’d offer you, but... but it helps. Just a bit.”

The man’s face was concerned, and he sighed deeply. He could tell the man about the third phase, could tell the man to get out of Atlas whilst he still could before Ironwood would flip the place on its side, but he didn’t. There was a traitor to Fall in their midst, someone who was in contact with that traitorous bitch that had sold his team out, simply for the thirst for power.

“The bodies are in the morgue. We’ve got one of Mantle’s specialist morticians working on them all night, and she’s a pro, according to what I’ve heard. Used to be a fine expert, but she made a mistake and nearly made a mess, but still well-acclaimed.”

The doors leading to the morgue were light and there was soft music in the background, the heavy tread of his sabatons leaving not a single sound remaining that did not show that Jaune Arc was here.

He saw Nicta over two bodies on slabs, her head rising, as she professionally shut the clipboard and laid it to its side. He was about to greet her, but she forestalled that.

“Headmaster Branwen, is this the young man who was their team leader? My condolences for your loss, young man.”

She was formal, she was acting out her role as mortician, saying that she didn’t know him, and he watched the two bodies, wrapped in white. A soft tremor went through him, as the woman looked at the Headmaster.

“Headmaster do you mind leaving, the identification process must be recorded.”

The man left with a small ‘Stay strong, kid’ and the sheet was pulled away, a recorder put onto the metal table.

“Is this Nora Valkyrie?”

Sunken cheeks, blood matting her head, a large crushed chest and a leg that had been half-amputated, the facial features twisted in a rictus of pain and death, as he looked at one of the deep green eyes that had been half-crushed in the socket, a soft sigh coming from his lips as he saw the ginger-red streaks of hair, his hand balling into a fist as he nodded. He didn’t see the tell-tale scar on her neck from the time at Kuroyuri, but he was sure it was just the lighting.

“She’s Nora, alright. This... This is Nora Valkyrie.”

He watched as the other sheet was raised up, the face a mess, but the Mistralian features still visible on the general traits, the hair not as short as it had been earlier, more cut in a loose style, probably to help with making his best friend look somewhat more appealing, the chest crushed and shards of rock lodged into it. It hadn’t been a pleasant look, and he couldn’t even see the distinct pink eyes of his friend from the mass of bone and bits. The magenta streak might’ve just been muddled by the blood.

“Is this Lie Ren?”

A soft nod of his head, his eyes looking at the woman as she noted something down on the clipboard.

“This is Ren, yes. They’re my teammates. They... they _were_ my teammates.”

It hurt and ached more than he’d ever admit to aloud, the pain that he felt, as the sheets were pulled back, Nicta speaking her formal line to the recorder, determining the people to be Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie.

He shuddered a little, the woman’s hand on his shoulder, a tissue offered. He took it and blew his nose, his eyes never quite leaving the bodies. He grabbed one of the charts from the body, taking notice of the statistics.

_‘Twenty-year old woman, blood type A, puncture wound to the chest and a heavy blow to the face, consistent with blunt force trauma. Death was fairly instantaneous, the puncture wound to the chest delivered post-mortem.’_

The blood in his heart stopped as he laid the chart down, going to Ren’s chart, as his eyes read through the chart’s language.

_‘Nineteen-Year-old man, blood type B, death through impact with rocks, rock shards lodged within sternum to pierce through the sternum, leading to death.’_

Cinder had been merciless, he knew. There was blood on his hands, and now there was more blood and ash on Cinder’s. The tears dripped onto the ground, Nicta offering another tissue and offering him a glass of water.

“There will be a funeral in the Atlas charnel house in five hours, at noon, Mister Arc. Cremation, as per the standard.”

It was the fate of all living things to die. Cinder Fall had extended her life by means of being a stone-cold bitch. It was a stern face that gazed down at the bodies of his friends, before he nodded.

“I’ll make sure that they are given a place. Are their weapons intact?”

The woman nodded, and he saw her move towards a box. Magnhild and Stormflower laid within the box, the blade of Stormflower coated in dirt and dust, Magnhild’s handle still coated in the blood of its owner, the blood that coated it dirtying it.

He grabbed the handle of Magnhild and raised the heavy war hammer for a moment, turning it around in his grip and sighing deeply. The weight was still the same, but it was all empty now. He’d keep it as a memento, and maybe if he was to upgrade his weapons, he’d use them as an honour to his friends.

“We’ll clean them and deliver them to your residence, if that is what you wish.”

The business-like voice of Nicta snapped him out of his thoughts, his eyes looking at the definite sign that Nora was no more, picking up Stormflower. Ren’s dagger was missing, he noticed. It might not have been picked up, so he would need to go find it, he guessed. It wouldn’t be time for that now, as he felt the darkness within his heart come ever closer to creeping into his conscious mind.

“Mister Arc? Could you leave me to my work? I have more bodies to treat.”

Nicta spoke formally and he took a few moments to gather himself, before he nodded.

“Send them to my friend Casey’s address. Thirty-seventh Miner’s Galley, Mantle District thirteen.”

He got the nod and then just left, the weight on his heart continuing once more, as he looked at his hands. The Winter Maiden’s death had spurred all of this on, his eyes seeing the blood drip from his fingers.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

He sat on a bench, just numbly gazing at the distance, aware of the target that he had become, but not caring one bit. He saw the students pass him by, several of them remarking on his presence, a slow exhale coming from his lips as he felt the heavy weight settle on his shoulders like a rock, his eyes leaking tears once more.

He was all alone.

* * *

Weiss noticed Blake first as they made their way back to her mother’s house, the Faunus girl coming from an alley and turning away. She nudged against Yang’s shoulder, motioning at Blake. Yang’s face showed her disapproval, and they followed after Blake, walking through the streets of Atlas at a pace that was slower, just like Blake. They hid behind people from time to time, aware that Blake was moving, and Weiss noticed that Blake was trying to move faster, her eyes glancing back at them from time to time.

“I'm not sure what she's doing here, but let's get some answers.”

She said, as Blake entered a cafe, pulling her zipper down a little and sitting down. Weiss was about to move into the cafe as well, sure that this could be a confrontation that she wouldn’t want to miss, only to feel a shock go through her as a red cloak fluttered and her team leader joined Blake, a look on her face.

_‘What... Ruby? Why... Why are you here?’_

She stormed in, before they would have a chance to get away. She would get to the bottom of this, and she saw Blake flinch away as Yang came in, her eyes lowered to the table.

“Weiss! Yang! Blake has news, she was sorry!”

Ruby’s voice admitted guilt, and Ruby...

_‘Ruby told Blake about the Winter Maiden...’_

It was the only thing that would make sense. They knew that Jaune had been arrested, and Clover had briefed them on it, after Blake had been gone. Blake could only have known if Ruby had told her.

“Hold up, sis...What is _she_ doing here?”

Ruby’s eyes looked innocently at them, as if she didn’t know what was wrong about meeting with someone who had betrayed them again.

“Listen, she’s a good member of the team. She’s been talking with Robyn Hill, and, and she’s got news about _Cinder_.”

Weiss frowned, sitting down at the table, Blake’s eyes skittish, her teeth clenching together, Yang’s face looking angry, as the blonde didn’t stop the raging emotion in her.

“She’s- She’s in Mantle, she’s heard that Jaune killed the Winter Maiden, and-“

Blake spoke up, and Weiss looked at Yang, the look on her eyes different, the treachery that she had committed.

 _“Where_ did you hear that? Blake, I’m three seconds away from stabbing you.”

She wasn’t taking this crap anymore. Blake used to be a friend, but now she’d turned her back on the team simply for some woman. Didn’t Blake see how much Yang hurt when she’d left? Didn’t Blake see the pain on her friends faces?

“Robyn Hill, she was- I joined the Happy Huntresses, and-“

Myrtenaster was up, at Blake’s throat in a flash, her blue eyes boring into the Faunus’ eyes, Ruby’s eyes wide as she stared.

“You have a minute to explain, because Cinder Fall just killed Nora and Ren, in search of the Winter Maiden’s powers.”

Ruby gasped, but Weiss Schnee was at the end of her patience. If Blake did not squeal about Hill and her Happy Huntresses working with Cinder, she would just stab the treacherous Faunus right there. People had _died_. Ren and Nora would be cremated, undoubtedly, as that was the standard for Atlas funerals, due to space being limited and the bodies attracting scavengers if buried outside the walls.

“What? But- She’s working with Robyn to make sure that she got the election. She is furious, but not- She can go to Atlas the same way as Robyn does, but you’ve got to trust me, I’m-“

The tip prodded against Blake’s skin. Ruby just looked afraid, as if this was unusual. Blake had betrayed them, and there was nothing that Weiss could do other than to put things right.

“Stop calling her _Robyn_ , Blake. She’s a _terrorist_. You _abandoned_ us, Blake.”

Yang accused, and Weiss pressed the tip against Blake’s throat, the look of guilt on the Faunus girl’s face clearly something that she couldn’t wipe off quickly, as she looked down.

“She was doing the right thing, Jaune- Jaune has killed, and-“

Weiss hissed, her eyes blazing with anger.

“I had to _comfort_ your ex-girlfriend because she had a night terror about killing _your_ ex-boyfriend, Blake! Yang didn’t need to have the nightmares, because you seem to have no problem killing people! You are responsible for the deaths of three thousand Schnee Dust Company personnel through your actions, if I can even believe Father’s reports. The installations that you raided in those five years, the people who were on the train that you abandoned. Three hundred deaths on that _train_ , before you went to Beacon, Blake!”

She was keeping her voice level, as the face of Nora twisted through her mind’s eye. She could see the pain go through that face, the manic laughter, as Cinder thrust the blade into Nora’s stomach, a little higher than where it had gone, in a sensitive spot where it would be painful, just to hurt more.

“They weren’t innocents! I backed out before the innocent were harmed!”

_‘So it’s okay if they were bad people, is it?’_

Weiss opened her mouth, but Ruby spoke up.

“Guys, can we... can we just talk about things for a bit? Oscar has been telling me about some of the things that Professor Ozpin remembers, even though professor Ozpin hasn’t been talking to him. He’s-“

Yang’s eyes blazed, her fist slamming onto the table in front of her, the metal one.

“She _abandoned_ us, Ruby! Ren and Nora are _dead_ now, thanks to Cinder Fall’s thirst for power. How many more of us need to suffer, huh? Blake doesn’t even care that she’s taken a life, as long as he was ‘evil’, and I can still hear him asking me what she saw in me... What she saw in _me,_ the one who wiped the big bad monster Adam Taurus away, huh... Do you think this is _funny_ , Blake? Do you like seeing how a stupid little human just reacts to every little word that the superior Faunus says to her?”

Blake tried to muster a response, as Weiss got up, Yang rising from her seat, her face showing clearly the anger within her.

“We’re leaving. Ruby, I’ll see you back at the house. We’ll work with you, but...”

She couldn’t stop the hurt from showing in her voice, as Blake tried to say something, Weiss turning to her blonde teammate and grabbing her hand, giving it a squeeze. Yang squeezed back, her lips giving a small smile, before she turned her attention to Ruby and Blake.

“ _Not_ with her. What if she leaves us again, huh? What makes her so loyal that she wouldn’t even tell her girlfriend that she sang in a _dumb_ choir? Your mother told us more about you in just a few days than you told us, Blake... There is something _wrong_ with you, and I can’t call you a friend anymore.”

The crestfallen look on Ruby’s face hurt a little, but Blake had soured them too much to her. One time of cowardice was enough, but a second time, all for someone who said that they were doing the ‘right thing’? Leonardo Lionheart had sold them out without a second thought, had brought Cinder to Haven and made it into a near-death encounter for her.

_‘I’m not going to suffer more...’_

She got up and took Yang’s hand, walking away with her and leaving Ruby and Blake there. The two called out, but Weiss Schnee was _done_ with that.

“I’ve got to prepare for the funeral tomorrow. I will see you two there, or you can go to mother’s house.”

Jaune Arc needed a friend, not someone who would betray him. Her sister’s shot might have been done, and there may be dark paths in the future, but Weiss wanted to _be_ there for a young man who lost everything.

“Hey... thanks. That... that was more than I’d ever have expected out of Weiss Schnee.”

Yang’s quiet voice spoke up, the flesh and blood arm that she held squeezing her a little. Weiss mustered a faint smile, as she let her attention go to the blonde older sister of her teammate.

“I’m not giving up on a friend, Yang. Weiss Schnee is _selective_ with her friends, and I think you are _quite_ a good one.”

She was pulled into an alley by the blonde and Yang’s tongue disappeared down her throat, pressed up against a building as the blonde kissed her, and she kissed back. Her hands wrapped around the curvaceous form of the blonde as the kiss lasted, the zippers of Yang’s outfit below her fingers, as the blonde’s lips pulled away.

“Hey... Let’s get ourselves looking a little bit better, okay? I’ll wash your back.”

Weiss may have walked just a little faster, and that shower went on for a good hour or so, as she was ‘washed’ by Yang, whose tongue drew interesting patterns on her body, diving between her legs and just making her feel wonderful.

Weiss Schnee was not gay, she just... had a habit of landing into bed with women. It was perfectly normal, and she preferred her own pace for things. As she knelt and reciprocated the favour, she could hear Yang’s guttural moans, the hands, one flesh and one metal, gripping her head, as she continued to work on Yang’s pussy.

She needed to get with Jaune again. It had been fun, and she might... might need a bit more of a man in her life. If she could convince her mother to offer an invitation, and she played her cards right... a threesome might not be too far out of reach.

She had her needs, obviously.

Seeing Yang wear one of the dresses that she’d bought earlier was nice, as Weiss stepped into her underwear and made a soft squeak as Yang’s hands grabbed her behind, massaging it.

“You’re a good friend, Weiss. Sorry for being such a mess...”

It was okay for Yang to be like this, Weiss knew.

“You’re a friend. Your sister helped me, and now I’m helping her big sister.”

She gave a kiss to her friend. On the lips, of course. She’d do Yang’s makeup tomorrow, so she’d look perfect. A Schnee was accompanied by greatness, after all. She didn't really get out of bed until dinner had been announced, Yang's hair a mess and sticky.

It was just helping out a friend. 

* * *

The charnel house was silent, as those gathered around it, a faint ringing sound, a bell starting to toll slowly, as the hour was announced. The two caskets that were to be lowered into the incinerators had been closed, they’d been put to rest until the flames would turn them into ashes.

_‘Good night, Ren, Nora... Keep a spot open for me at the table so you can finally introduce Pyrrha to strip poker.’_

Cinder Fall had done this. Cinder Fall had been the instigator of all of this, she’d been the one who’d attacked, even if it made little sense. He could see Ruby and Blake, who’d somehow surfaced again like some sort of flu virus, demurely standing there at the side, Weiss and Yang looking like they wanted little to do with them. Oscar was there as well, the Relic clipped to his belt as an ornament, something that made a small spark of something dark shoot through him, as he could hear the words being spoken.

In full military uniform, Winter stood there, a slight few paces away, her eyes looking dark and hollow, meeting his own for a moment. The soft coughing from one of the people responsible made him feel sadness well up inside him.

“We now consign to the flame Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, partners in life, and so may they be in death. A flame that was lit at birth, lies now snuffed out in death. Mister Arc? Do you have anything to add to the people gathered?”

It was his cue, he knew, and he stepped forward, looking at the caskets again, before he turned to the visitors. There was nothing else that came to mind than just speaking on the two that had made life better.

“Ren and Nora were my teammates. They stuck with me through thick and thin, said that they’d always be there for me, that we’re a family. Gods, if mom and dad could see them, they’d be so happy. Finally, a daughter that had some energy, a son that’d be quiet for once. They loved each other very much, throughout their entire time at Beacon. They weren't 'together-together', but they were always together.”

He turned to the people, Ruby already crying, Blake merely watching impassively, as if things were just as they should be. Weiss was trying to restrain herself from crying, whilst Yang freely let the tears flow.

“We had a lot of strategies worked out for the Vytal festival. One of our greatest little things was the ‘distract them by having a team meeting’, which honestly, shouldn’t have worked. Pyrrha was the one who was the MVP, who suggested that we do something like that. She knew we’d be able to baffle them a little, and then Nora would hit them with the hammer. People... People always let others finish talking.”

He remembered them. The green-eyed redheaded beauty, smiling at him with that look that had been loving, and he’d been too stupid to see it. Nora’s cheeky grin, before he told them of his plan. Ren, quiet and aware, just adding a few thoughts of his own, but he concocted the grand strategy.

“I’m not- I’ve never been proud of my actions. Every time I failed, I blamed myself, but they pulled me up from the darkness, they made me feel something a little more positive, just ‘no more sad Jaune’ and then Nora would leap on my back. She’s frighteningly strong, you know? Well-“

She’d used to be frighteningly strong. She’d used to be frighteningly strong and he’d been crying since he started the little speech. His team, all of them, was now within the grave.

“Not _anymore_. Cinder Fall killed them, because she wished to find her ‘power’. She’s undoubtedly still around here, just waiting for a chance to ambush me, to make me confess about where her ‘precious’ Semblance went to.”

People assumed too much. That was their flaw, and he knew that. Nora being the bubbly girl that she was, definitely would take advantage of that. She wasn’t the unintelligent girl that she’d always portrayed herself to be.

_“You know, I used to be a beggar. Totally silly, of course, because now we have food, but- but people just don’t see the poor, the oppressed. Pyrrha, you’ve had a lot of luck in life, but- I’ve had to steal for my food. Smile for the man who manned the stall and then pawn an apple, just to get by.”_

“Ren was the brother I never had. I owe the guy more than I can ever admit to, because he always was there to ground me in reality with a quiet ‘You should just drink your smoothie, Jaune. It’ll make you calm down.’ They tasted horrible, but he put in a lot of healthy stuff, so I’m sure that he’ll be making me one when I’m joining Pyrrha, Nora and Ren.”

His eyes swept over the gathered people, and he didn’t really know what his facial expression was like, but the people seemed to flinch at the sight, Ruby whispering a soft ‘Jaune!’ as Weiss and Winter seemed to tremble for a moment. Winter’s eyes averted and they didn’t look at him anymore, her arms wrapping around her upper body as if they wanted to protect it, to make sure that she was safe.

“They were great people. Nora always wanted to make my day better, so she had that love for life in her. She wanted to tell me something yesterday, something important, but... well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Ren... I know why you did what you did. You aren’t someone who would stop loving your girlfriend, so I can understand, my brother in spirit. Without her, your life would be colourless.”

It had been a moment where they’d all been together at Atlas Academy. They were team JNR, with a duty to undertake. They didn’t flinch away from it, because that was not what they were. They were Huntsman now, graduated because General Ironwood had given them permission to graduate, and they were going to make this place stay safe.

The murder of Tyrian Callows, the ambush of Doctor Watts, the murder of Jacques Schnee, all had been to make the world a better place. The witch called Salem would not bring death to his friends and family, and Cinder Fall would need to be stopped. That had been the original plan. The Winter Maiden was a side-objective, the power needing to be kept from Winter Schnee’s hands, due to her being someone that he cherished.

“They loved me, more than they should. I’m guilty of many things. I’ve always wanted to be a hero, to help the people in need when they needed me most... But now, I’m the one standing in front of a set of coffins, apologizing. You’ll always be in my heart, Ren and Nora. Atlas and Mantle will be unified once more, just like it should be. I’ll send Cinder to meet you guys, so show them some Pomegrenade, guys.”

A bitter laugh came from his lips, as he wiped his face with a handkerchief, and the minister started the incinerator, watching as the flames consumed the coffins, the bodies within consigned to the flame. He could feel nothing but the emptiness inside him, the dark whispers in his mind.

_“So what? I chose my surname to be Valkyrie, so you being who you are doesn’t change anything! Pyrrha doesn’t mind, does she? You’re still our glorious leader! That your surname is different from the name that’s registered here doesn’t matter one bit!”_

They had understood. He’d told Pyrrha the truth about his faked transcripts, and Pyrrha, Nora and Ren had understood it and not minded. Pyrrha had teased him about being a ‘really bad boy’ for lying to the Headmaster and getting in regardless, but she’d followed his orders.

_‘I never deserved teammates as great as you guys.’_

He felt the touch of someone on his back, and he knew who it was simply because of how light the touch was. Winter never really had a strong touch, more delicate in her nature than her attitude at times.

“They were remarkable teammates.”

Winter’s soft voice was the final straw, as he started to sob, the weight of the pain finally crashing down on him, as he turned around and pulled her into an embrace that she did not resist, his weight on her pinning her into place as his tears leaked into her uniform.

“It’s... it’s fine. Take all the time you need.”

He felt his friends come closer, wrapping him in a hug, Weiss and Ruby on a side as he held on to Winter, and the tears did not stop coming.

Ren and Nora were gone. He had failed in keeping people safe, losing all that he had left in this world.

The frozen chill inside his heart never stopped, as the rage built within, the death of Cinder Fall craved even more than before.

“It’s... okay. They were your teammates, and you are not alone.”

She tried her best to comfort him, but there was only the cold frozen hate for that golden-eyed woman in his heart right now, aware that she'd taken from him something precious, something irreplaceable.

* * *

She was floating in a void. It was getting terribly dark in this place, and it most certainly was _not_ pleasant. She tried to feel more with her fingers, only finding that she could not feel a thing. A bright light hit her, and she felt the jolts of shock go through her, aware of the strength pouring into her body, her heart beating once more.

She opened her eyes, aqua blue popping open and she rose from the table that she’d been put on, the Dust crystal held against her skin, taking in a deep breath. Her true love’s fingers pulled the crystal away, aware that it had worked. The paralytic poison would last for a short while longer, she knew, but it’d worked to shock her back to life. That crazy Thursday wasn't worth remembering, but it'd given her an idea, at least!

“Are you okay?”

Her boyfriend and partner asked, as he was already in the process of pulling his clothes off to complete the switch, a darker-skinned woman coming in from the side door to the sterile room, setting a large bag on the table. She smelled the faint sterilizing cleaning agents of the room and she realized that there were two body bags already present within the room, delivered earlier.

“Bit _jittery_ , really. Jaune’s going to be beside himself...”

The Mantlean doctor who’d helped them with disposing of Tyrian Callows’ body looked them over, her hand pulling out a bottle of blonde hair dye from her medical bag.

“Blonde hair dye for your boyfriend, dark green for you. Now, bare your neck for me, girl. You still had about half an hour of suspended animation, so I’ve got to give you a review to see whether everything’s still fine.”

She let the woman give her a once-over, the wound on her side bandaged already by Ren’s hands, her Aura keeping things intact. She saw the identification be pulled up from the bag, placed in front of her.

“You two leave this place tonight. Atlas Academy’s got no camera’s around the morgue, because it’s... well, a _morgue_. You can mingle with the students, because you’re the right age to fit in. These two identities are from two Huntsmen trainees who died during initiation, I did their paperwork since they were orphans and altered the dates of birth to match... Make this chance count, you two.”

Nora nodded her head, as she pulled herself over to the sink and started to rinse her hair, so the hair dye would be applied.

It was a lesson that she’d learned thanks to Jaune’s master plan to get the Maiden powers out from the grasp of Cinder Fall. All warfare is based on deception, and she could deceive the world. It would be like the spy thriller that she’d seen before on the television back when she’d still been at Beacon, hidden identities...

_‘Just a few days, Jaune... Just a few days and we’ll have Cinder Fall dead.’_

The silent partner in the corner of the room tapped the parasol-blade down onto the tiles, her small form sat upon the corner table, the mismatched eyes blinking once, the brown and pink shifting into deep vivid green before it shifted to blue, and then back to brown and pink again.

_‘You’re not going to be bearing the burden alone... She’s a canny woman, just like you, Jaune.’_

The bowler hat sat on Neopolitan’s head, her shoulders loose and the look in those eyes cool but professional. There was something awfully smug about the woman’s face, as she pushed the bowler hat up a little.

“It’s time to make the world a better place, mister Boyfriend... Or should that be girlfriend? Ooh, we can have a threesome with Jauney when you’re still dressed up!”

Her boyfriend was so silly sometimes, as he facepalmed. Nora Valkyrie laughed, as the silent woman in the corner merely snickered softly, her shoulders shaking as the smile lingered on her lips.

It was just about time that they did a little bit of backstabbing themselves... Jaune should not have to dye his hands in blood in order to do what he had to do. They’d have to take out some dangers that Jaune couldn’t see.

_‘Just six days, and then you’ll be a councillor.’_

She wanted that damn threesome! He deserved to be loved! She wanted her boys to take her at the same time at least once!

Nora Valkyrie was all happy when her boys were happy!

* * *

**Well... Feast of Lies is apparently the ship name for Jaune/Nora/Ren. Fitting. Small hints were given as to the duplicity that they did. Also: harpoon-knives on Ren's weapons. Grappling hooks with another name.**

**I’ll be updating this on Wednesdays. My health has gotten bad enough that I’ve missed updates and such. Right now, I'm sort of trying not to be a mess of blood and pain.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like.**


	18. A feminine party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss and Yang talk, Jaune goes to try to and plan his strategy, musings on family... and friendships between friends.

**Here's your update, people. Enjoy.**

* * *

He felt her get closer to him, as she shifted a little in bed with him. His head pounded, the weight of something heavy on his mind. Casey cuddled up against him again, as he’d come home in the late evening, remembering only the pain of the ceremony of cremation, the weight that lingered on his soul, aware that he was all alone again.

It had not been sex the last night, just a comforting moment when Casey had brought herself to bed with a soft whisper and calming warmth that seemed to wrap tightly around him. He could feel the morning’s coolness slide over him, aware that the weight of his sins had only increased. Cinder Fall had killed his friends. She’d been responsible, a murderous, maddened woman on the quest for power.

“Hmmhmm… Slept better, Jaune?”

Casey spoke quietly, her eyes meeting his own and he remembered hugging Winter after the bodies had been put to ash. It had been awkward, but it had been what he needed, the care from the woman and her promise to hunt the guilty one down still in his mind.

_‘I would rather you stayed at home and let me deal with the woman by myself…’_

Winter didn’t know the terror of Cinder Fall, of how far the woman would go in order to be able to burn the world with the power that she obtained through death and murder. Ren and Nora were ashes now, their urns already prepared and stored safely for a few weeks, all in order to return them to the soil from which they hailed. Mistral was still a ways away, Anima broad all-around.

“I keep seeing them…”

He kept hearing them. Their voices replayed through his mind, as he remembered the talks that they’d had about their little gambit. It had been important to keep the power out of Cinder’s hands, and it had all gone smoothly, until… until there had been complications.

“Jaune, sweetheart…”

Casey’s hands stroked over his arms, pulling herself up against him, her eyes looking with a pleading expression. The shirt hung loosely, as she pressed herself against him.

“They would want you to remember them. That woman… You’ll get her. You’ll protect us all, Jaune. Mantle does not break. Mantle does not crack.”

The hopeful tone in her voice was like a stab to the gut, the pain in his body not stopping at the mere hopes of a woman who had shared a bed with him. He cared for Winter, he cared for Weiss, he cared for everyone, and Winter had been freed, because she had been special, a princess of sorts that needed rescuing.

“I know… I know I can’t have you as a husband, but- but I enjoy you being around. You’re… If I’d been quicker, I could’ve made you into a father for my daughter, because she genuinely does like you.”

Regrets. Pain. Something that couldn’t stop, as he remembered Winter’s face at the charnel house, the smell of burning ashes around him, remembering the pain that he’d felt. Could he drag another woman into the dangerous line of work that he was in?

“No, Jaune. Don’t consider it. _Don’t_. I’m not a woman who is the type to wait for a husband to come home from his exploits. I’m… I know what I am, Jaune. I’m just a passing fancy, and-“

She was crying, the freezing coolness in the air once more a thing, as the blizzard of his heart seemed to thaw for a moment, his aura wrapping around her, keeping her warm and safe.

“And we’ll make a life here in Mantle, whilst you rise sky-high for Mantle’s safety. You may only be a councilmember for a year or two, but- But you’ll do a better job of it. I know that you will, my hero.”

She shuddered at the kiss that he gave her, her body pressed against his own. He reacted to her with an erection, but she only gazed at him with her eyes watery.

“I’m no hero.”

He wasn’t. Heroes didn’t do the things that he had done. He could never be a hero like in the stories, saving the princess, making the world a better place. His crimes had firmly placed him in the spot of the villain. Ruby could be the hero, and he could be the villain.

“One man’s hero is another man’s villain, Jaune. Do you think I care whether you’ve murdered people? No! You’ve brought Mantle _hope_ , Jaune. You are trying to _help_ when Atlas refuses to, when Hill betrays us.”

He knew that she didn’t see the world as he did. He had pushed the power out of Winter Schnee’s path in order to guard her from the responsibilities that came with it. Ren and Nora had paid the price for it… and someone had _squealed_.

“And what if I had betrayed all of what I stood for, Casey? What if I had decided to peer into the darkness and stepped into it without flinching, all in order to keep the power out of the grasp of someone I loved?”

He would never be forgiven for what he had done, he knew. General Ironwood was livid, even with only one seat to his name. He had found out from Weiss that the seat of the Atlas Academy councilman had been temporarily loaned to Headmaster Branwen, a choice who was shaky as always.

“You did it for the _right_ reasons. Jaune Arc stands on the frontline for Mantle. You’ve convinced Willow Schnee to build us a better wall. You’ve made us get hope, and I hope that you’ll visit us two when you’re up in Atlas being a councilman, Jaune. You’ve got a girlfriend and her daughter left to safeguard, Mister Arc. Do not forget that.”

She smiled, and he sighed softly. He wouldn’t forget her, no. He was attached to the two of them now, as they had tried to keep him happier than he would’ve been if he’d had to be alone. He was so alone in this world, and he knew that he would die alone now. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora were already in the afterlife… so what more did he have to live for?

“Now, get up, Mister Huntsman. Mama wants daddy’s back scrubbed clean, and if daddy is a good man, she’ll make him feel really good.”

It was a playful tease from a woman whose situation had improved only somewhat since he’d come to live with her, the pain inside his heart not stopping with that beating throb of agony, as he remembered the fun times with Nora, how her insights had occasionally frustrated him greatly.

He walked into the shower with her, the warmth of the water still absent, but he clad them in his aura to warm her up, her arms wrapped around him until the heat came and warmed her up. Her hands brushed over his shoulders as she scrubbed over his skin with the sponge.

“I’ll help you with your armour, Jaune.”

He wasn’t going to stop feeling empty, but she was a woman who trusted him to do the right thing, to be her hero. He hadn’t told her about the Maidens, or anything more. She was a woman he’d had sex with, so…

“I’ll have to talk to Nicta for a bit though, after we get to the school, Jaune. Just.. relax, okay? The world isn’t bleak and hopeless… there’s _always_ a spark of hope.”

Ruby’s face came to his mind, as Winter’s followed after it. He got out of the shower and she towelled him off, her fingers rubbing the cloth over his muscular body, letting him feel that tense touch of the woman as she ran her fingers over some of the wounds that he’d gotten in their trip through Anima.

“You are that spark of hope, Jaune. I wish that you’d see it. We are… We are _Mantle_ , and we are the people who stand against an oppressor with all our might.”

He could feel the weight rest on him again, the bodies that he had already destroyed with his own hopes and dreams, leaving nothing but the darkest of hopes within him for the future. He was someone who was forsaken by the pain that he had felt. Forsaken by the pleasure that had been denied before him, the burn of his crimes.

_‘What in this world does a man like me have to look forward to?’_

“And… And if I decided to seize power? What if I had to kill to get that power?”

He didn’t dare to look at her, knowing that he had killed those who had been in his way. He was on the road towards a seat on the council, the highest power in the Kingdom of Atlas.

“Then we at least know that Arc will unify Mantle and Atlas. You did a great thing, Jaune… Jaune Arc stands for Mantle and Atlas, _our_ elected representative.”

He turned around and looked in the eyes, aware of the trust she was giving him. He was a murderer, a villain under another name, someone who had lied, cheated and stole in order to survive. He was a man who did not think that he would go anyplace friendly, but that one woman deserved death.

“All of this is in order to kill one woman. I am going to be locked away for my crimes, likely. General Ironwood isn’t happy…”

She looked at his face, and smiled.

“You’ll be free again, and then I’ll be there, waiting for you, and if anyone else does not stand there with me, they will never have loved you, Jaune.”

He could understand that, somewhat. Nora and Ren were gone, and they’d not be waiting for him. Even with the best of luck, he could not imagine that anyone would ever want to associate with him again. He had to kill his heart and focus on killing Cinder. Only through her death…

_‘You can be rotting in hell with the rest of your hopes, Cinder…’_

He would keep the people he cared for safe. Today was still something to be careful about, as he remembered that there would be a debate tomorrow evening. He was aware of that, and he knew that he had to meet with his campaign staff. He could not let the feelings he had inside of him make his goal of improving this place slip. Mantle needed him.

Cinder Fall was secondary to the wellbeing of the people of Mantle, Casey, Nicta and the others needing him, as did the average civilians in Mantle. They needed protection, a cause they could rally behind.

They would need a hero. A leader that could stand in front of the crowd and declare that there would be change.

* * *

He stood at the spot with the Huntsman assigned to guard the children on their school route, his eyes looking at the children and his smile firmly in place. His mother said that he should smile, even if he felt like crying on the inside, and he would not let the children lose their hope.

He caught sight of someone who looked a little like Nora if she'd had a good dye-job and wore 'Ruby-like' clothing, as well as a blonde girl that looked a little like Ren if he’d ever be forced into a dress, looking at him, the two Huntresses moving swiftly after giving him a passing glance, the blonde saying something to her teammate before they continued along, their eyes having rested on him for a long moment.

_‘You’re seeing things…’_

He was already someone who had seen the ghost of Pyrrha replace Winter for a moment. Hoping beyond hope that his team was still alive was a sign of madness. He could almost imagine Ren’s flat chest in a dress… That’d be a laugh to see with Ren's cheeks flaring up. The dress had been a nice thing during the dance at Beacon Academy, but Ren had stuck to his formal clothing.

He saw the children off, watching Nicta and Casey have a few brief words, the latter smiling softly at him, as she rubbed over her stomach. It was a gesture that he’d seen with Willow as well, and it might just be something Mantlean or the like. He hadn’t known about the casserole part either.

He wasn’t someone who would give up on a promise that he’d once made. If Casey was sick, he’d try to make her feel better. He owed it to her, in this world that felt so cold.

_‘If I find out who leaked the secret to Cinder…’_

He didn’t know whether he would kill them or not. Already, he could remember the words that had been spoken, only a week earlier. The plan was still continuing, and he would make Mantle a place which could stand against the Grimm.

_“What would you do with an opponent who outmatches you in a military capacity, Jaune?”_

The words had been spoken by his grandmother’s mother, the woman’s stern visage much like his mother’s, a piercing gaze that had never stopped looking into his own. She had been beautiful, a regal figure whose back was straight and never fading in the dark times where she had been a general.

_“Whatever I must.”_

The answer had been satisfying, as his great-grandmother’s hand had touched his cheek, the smile on her lips brilliant as her pale skin had shown the brilliance.

_“Good answer… No force can stand against humanity when united, my little Jaune. Divide them, however... and they are weak, fragile. They do not know what to do, when their generals lie silent, and their captains are killed."_

The words hadn’t made much sense, but now that he had been to Mantle, he had seen how the people banded together. Even in Vale, there was unity within the people of a country, his great-grandmother’s words coming to haunt him once more, a shudder going through his body as he remembered her face, the eyes that had judged him for a moment before they dismissed him.

_‘Dad is lucky…’_

He wondered how his mother and father were doing. They would still be mad at him for making off in the night using Rosa’s boyfriend’s forged transcripts. The man had thought it hilarious, even as Rosa had said that he should do it, for her. She'd always had a very convincing manner about her.

Romeo Torch… Not a bad man, albeit a smoker. Mother had not liked him at all, which was fairly standard for her. He knew that the first barrier to entering the family was always his mother. Saphron always had been referred to as ‘the bad daughter’, because Terra and she had married in secret, before going to Argus. It hadn't been exactly an escape, but they'd been very quick and quiet about it.

_‘I don’t think they ever referred to Terra as ‘Saphron’s wife’, just as ‘Saphron’s best friend and her baby’…’_

Great-grandmother would not have accepted their marriage. Star had narrowly avoided being blown up by an angry great-grandmother, so it would probably have ended in Terra’s death. As long as his sister was happy though, he was sure that there would be some way to get her fully back into the family again.

Mom had said that it was shameful to be a harridan who craved only the lustful gazes of men on her. Star had been… tricky to work with. She and Rosa had put on a pole-dancing routine once, just to show to mom that it wasn’t all bad. Mom had dragged their father into the bedroom half-way through it, and they’d all politely decided to go and watch a movie with the volume up loudly.

Hearing your mother and father get busy in the bedroom was just embarrassing. Great-grandmother had walked in on them once, his mother bent over the kitchen table and his father behind her, and since then, they’d always made sure that they would be proper whenever she had come for her bi-yearly visit.

_‘Great-grandma put the fear of the Gods in them…’_

“Jaune? Jaaauuunnee… Hey, big guy?”

He snapped to attention, finding that there was someone standing in front of him, Casey’s smile bright, as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly.

“Nicta and me have to do… eh, womanly stuff. Stuff about womanly hygiene, that thing. Do you think you can make it to your next appointment safely?”

He had been zoning out, ever since the death of Ren and Nora. He wasn’t sharp anymore, not like the blade that could cut through a villain’s heart and to stab deep. He should focus. Ren and Nora would want him to be strong for them.

“I will.”

He would. He would do what he had to do in order to bring the safety of this world to the hearts and minds of the people who believed in him and his message, in the power that laid within him. He was someone who would not stop fighting, even if the world reviled him for what he had done.

* * *

He sat down in the chair opposite of the woman who’d been at several campaigns, looking at the mockup that she’d made.

“Do you like it, boy?”

The terse, stern features of Miss Gelato watched him judgingly, the veteran campaigner waiting for his answer, Callie on a desktop at the side, trying to fit something in a proper document to be read.

“It looks suitable. It will show the people of Mantle that to vote for Jaune Arc is to vote for their interests.”

The image of the armour of Nicholas Schnee and his face standing there, a picture that’d been taken at a photo session only a few hours earlier, was something that showed a beginning from dust, from dirt and the ground. His features were hardened through trial and turmoil, and he had looked like a man who had suffered… and he had.

“But you do not think it will hit the people as it should, Mister Arc. Why?”

The question was obvious to answer, as he looked at his features, the broad ‘Arc For Mantle’ above it standing out. It would show that he was for one slice of the kingdom, whilst casting off the other slice.

“It would not reach the people above. It would win me Mantle, but it would not win me more than that. The people of Atlas would see me as an invader…”

The woman nodded, a rare smile appearing on the woman’s face, as she seemed to regard him with a look that had changed somewhat in its gaze.

“Astute. This would get you your seat, Mister Arc. The Mantle vote is oftentimes crucial in an election like this. It would bind Mantle to you.”

But it would not bind Atlas to him. There were two parties to this Kingdom. Atlas above and Mantle below.

“Make it into ‘Atlas United’. The people…”

He looked at the picture, focusing on his expression, at the features that they showed. A man who had fought for the people of Atlas, the whole people. A man who minded children, who cared for the people of the city below, yet who did not forget Atlas.

“The people need a beacon to guide them, a-“

A deep sigh from his lips, as he watched the image again.

“If they require a leader, then I will be that leader. If they require a general, then I will be that general. Mantle does not crack and it does not break, and Atlas will forever be united under my command. One people, one power, one Kingdom.”

Words that would be considered as inflammatory as wearing a pin of Old Mantle during Remembrance Day, but he didn’t think that it was a wrong message to send. Ozma had taken possession of the body of the boy named Oscar Pine, undoubtedly. Against a tyrant who worked from the shadows, you could only have a hero to counter that threat.

_‘This grand game of maidens and pawns has gone on for too long…’_

There was no Nora to whisper in his ear that he was going too far. There was no Ren to calm things down and to offer wise advice. He knew that he was playing a dangerous game, but the people needed him.

“Sometimes, the hand of fate must be forced. Robyn Hill would not be that change that Mantle needs, so I will be that change.”

He muttered to himself, the older woman’s head nodding.

“A nationalistic message. You may be called out for trying to return to the olden days, Mister Arc.”

His eyes closed and he remembered the stories about the former King of Mantle, a man who had been torn down from his palace and his family executed.

“General Ironwood is a king who wields the ultimate authority over our military forces. There must be a balance, Miss Gelato. If there must be power within one man, let it be power that is within a man who does not seek it.”

The classical interpretation of power, as brought by his great-grandmother. One would hold to power to ensure that those who followed the line that you set would be prosperous, whilst those enemies that tried to obtain the power were denied. You denied them resources, then you starved them of their morale. Hope would fade last, and there would only be victory left.

He shuddered softly at the thought, his great-grandmother’s face appearing before his eyes again, eyes narrowed in a look that’d been described as ‘the Ice Witch’s leer’ by his sister Hannah, outside of earshot from his great-grandmother. Great-grandmother had always been someone who had kept an iron grip on her temper, but the woman’s glares could chill the blood of any who were observed by them.

“A good way to phrase it, but I would say that it would… here.”

Atlas stands united, a single word placed in the middle, giving a heroic edge to it. He couldn’t think of himself as a hero anymore, but the weight of his responsibility rested heavily on his shoulders, the pain in his heart not dulling once more.

“A good message to the people who need hope. You can be the beacon that lights the way, Mister Arc.”

He watched the woman carefully before he sighed. It was all a game until he would have to play the rules.

“Eh… Hello? I’m here to see about a job…”

A man who had a bristly moustache stood there at the entrance, the baldness on his head showing his age, a bit of a pudgy look about him, as honest blue eyes suddenly shifted to a different, redder colour. There was a mumbling from the man, as he saw his campaign manager get up, Dirk walking immediately to the man and starting to talk.

“... job openings, sure! Councilman-to-be Jaune Arc will accept any who come to work for the betterment of Atlas.”

He faintly recognized the man from a picture that he’d seen in the photo album that Willow had kept.

“Mister… Sieben, was it?”

The man nodded, his hands wringing in front of him, the man’s honest eyes switching to dishonest yellow before turning back to honest blue. It was something that he noticed, something of a feeling that he had.

“Mister Arc, I presume? If you don’t like me to work with you, I understand, I can-“

He shook his head, putting a smile on his face.

“You were the head butler at the Schnee Mansion, weren’t you? I’ve seen a picture of you with… with Winter Schnee, out on a trip to the park. You made a big snowman together when she was six.”

He had thought that the man was just the head butler, but the warmth that the man had shown towards Winter and Willow was something that he hadn’t forgotten. A kind man, who could be attentive to the people he cared for.

“Why, yes I was. I was let go, but I promise you, I’ll do my best. You’ve at least convinced the lady Willow to work with Mantle, and I hope that I can be some help.”

His smile was a little warmer, as he placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, trying to develop a rapport. People were more willing to listen if you were touching them, a little trick that his mother had said, a smile on her face as she rubbed over his father's cheek.

“I noticed how much her daughters enjoyed your presence. Why don’t I go and deliver you to the mansion, and we can see whether we can get you rehired? I am pretty sure that Willow Schnee is more open to such an offer than her late husband was.”

The man had been mentioned by Winter a few times too, if he recalled it properly, his eyes going to his campaign manager.

“We can at least give the man a chance to regain his job. It would be… It would be doing a favour to someone cast out, to show the people of Mantle that the people of Atlas are just the same, albeit a little more snooty at times.”

The older man made an excited noise and Jaune… was actually feeling a dash of concern. The butler had been regarded well by the Schnee family, and it would be… bringing him in close contact with Winter again. He wanted to accept the offer… he really had wanted to accept that offer that she had made.

_“We can be together. There is no maiden power now, you’ve… you’ve sent it away. So, we can- I’ll get an apartment, I’ll quit the Specialists, there will be nothing that can stop us.”_

He had denied her, of course. Winter had to be safe. Cinder might find him, she might enact revenge for what Nora had apparently said…

_‘I will avenge you three, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren. You won’t be seeing Cinder come to you intact, because I’ll have taken a pound of flesh!’_

“That’s a great move. Repatriating the dispirited by Jacques Schnee’s crude cut of labour, and making a show of it to the people of Mantle. Mister Sieben, if you are willing… We can spin this into some magnificent public-relations stuff for him, enough to eke out Sands socialistic message.”

Dirk was getting more into things, as the old butler started to talk about how much of an honour it was.

_‘Well, I’ve had the honour of having sex with all three of the ladies of the house of Schnee…’_

That was a small glimmer of joy in his memories. The pain still was within his heart, but he knew that he had denied the enemy the resources that they needed. He was still someone who loved his team and his family.

* * *

Weiss Schnee woke up late in the morning. Yang’s groin was at face-level, the womanly shape of Yang laid all over the bed, her underwear covering her sex. Things had been intense, stressing over things and feeling good. Blake had been… _difficult_. The urge to scream at her was still growing less and less, making her feel calmer than before.

Her mother only looked up from her work table as she entered the office, her father’s knick-knacks shoved aside, as the Scroll call was still ongoing.

“hope that you’ll be willing to listen to me for a bit, Willow. I’ve brought a guest, so if you’d allow us entry to your home… I’m sure you’ll like them.”

The voice of Jaune came from the speaker, and her heartbeat started to go up to the excited thump that she’d heard before, her mother’s smile on her face, as she motioned for her to come closer, her mother’s perfume muted, as Jaune’s face showed a small shred of happiness on his face, the hurt now looking a little fainter.

“Of course, Mister Arc… Or I suppose Jaune would be more fitting, given how _intimately_ we have made our acquaintance. My daughter would love to see that surprise, as would I.”

It was… it was another hot thought. A bit of a threesome, but with her mother joining in. Treating a man with her body, like a queen and her princess daughter…

_‘Hmm… He’d look like…’_

Okay, she was definitely getting a vibe that’d be like some invading sovereign subjecting the former king's wife and youngest daughter to a harsh bit of correction in the bed. Curse her imagination, because… this was getting bothersome. Watching her mother being pounded into the bed by some conquering villain, hearing her breathing pick up as the queen's defeat was inevitable and then seeing him rise, and she would be thrown onto the bed, losing her maidenhood to- She was getting distracted, and her nipples could probably cut through Dust-reinforced glass. She smiled at him.

“Hello, Jaune.”

He looked at her and smiled with that faint warmth that was like when he'd been better. Her heartbeat shot up some more. She licked her lips, and he spoke up.

“Thank you for being there at their memorial service, Weiss. I’ll… I hope you’ll watch the debate tomorrow. I’ll make this place something where nobody will be hurt ever again, Weiss. I’ll keep your family safe. There will not be another Schnee sacrificed on the altar of Ironwood’s desire to keep control over the floating part of a kingdom that should be united.”

Strong language. She shuddered. Her mother’s amused smile, as the arm wrapped around her, her waist felt up by her mother.

“Might I be able to interest you in one daughter, slightly used? She comes with perks, Mister Arc. You have apparently ‘made her acquaintance’ due to your gallant actions… I look forward to meeting you and your mysterious friend, Jaune Arc.”

He turned the call off after laughing at the offer, clearly thinking her mother was joking and she looked at her mother with eyes that were… a bit more excited.

“Mother? Did you just… try to sell me to him?”

A slave girl on the market, sold to the man who would seize her. A hot steamy night, her legs wrapped around him as she milked him of his seed, her mother’s gaze approving…. And she might need new underwear, because she was getting into the thoughts that were hot and steamy again. It shouldn't be that hot a thought, seeing his manly body below her and that big hard shaft- yep. Definitely a need for new underwear.

“Weiss, one thing has become _very_ clear to me over the course of my acquaintance with him.”

The serious look on her mother’s face, as her eyes looked into her own, something that was serious, like that moment in father’s office, when they had needed to gather evidence.

“He will fight to the death for his family. He will fight until his last dying breath for the family he has made, and he will die before he will let anyone else suffer. I am _pregnant_ , Weiss. I want to see my daughters be with a man who will defend this family, who will wake up next to one of you and smiles and makes you happy.”

Her mother’s eyes were deep and thoughtful, her mother’s fingers tracing over the desk that’d belonged to her father until the day of his death, a shiver going through her mother’s eyes as she looked to the side, where the crest of the family had been raised, a reminder of what it meant to be a Schnee.

“We have all the Lien and Dust in the world, yet there is one thing that we do not have… A _man_ to guard us. Whitley needs a role model, lest he become like his father. Winter and you are my dear daughters, and I wish you two to have a man who will cherish you like the precious girls you are.”

It was sweet that mother cared for her, her mother’s gaze dark for a moment, as she looked at the desk for a moment, as she shook her head lightly, leaving her thoughts there.

“And… And will you marry the man who… who made you- The baby, I mean-“

She couldn’t really say it. She hadn’t even confessed it to Yang yet, but her uncle had put a baby in her mother, she was sure of it. She didn’t think Winter even had the slightest suspicion, or she’d know that Winter would be kicking down the door to wherever Qrow Branwen lived and making him be the father that he should for the baby.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t even know himself. It was a little… _oops_ , you may call it.”

A bitter smile on her mother’s face, as she looked down at her Scroll, a heavy, weary sigh from her lips at the thoughts that undoubtedly darkened her.

“Do you think he would be… a good father?”

Her mother’s eyes looked into her own, and Weiss shivered at the warmth that she found within them, the mysterious smile on her mother’s lips, as her fingers brushed over her stomach again. The pulse of the Semblance that flowed within the Schnee bloodline was something that she couldn’t deny, the feeling of that unique connection with that little life that was growing inside her, that little extra beat of energy that was still not fully formed.

“I think he would, Weiss. I think he would. A kind, warm man whose love for the people overflows from his heart.”

Her mother’s face looked pained, as she exhaled softly, slightly wistfully. Weiss had this sudden thought about Jaune, about how kind he was and how warm he made her feel. He’d… he’d be a good partner, indeed. In a world where you couldn’t trust anyone, where he’d done what she’d never even imagined, he’d be someone who would fight to the death for her, for… for what they all were waiting for. Safety. Hope.

“He sounds a little like Jaune. A man who would stand in front of you. Mother, imagine that…Winter or I pregnant by him.”

Her mother didn’t respond, as her eyes looked up from her Scroll and she exhaled slowly.

“Yes… Imagine that.”

She could. It was… well, it wasn’t a _good_ thing for a young woman, but… but she couldn’t deny the appeal of a little baby to care for. Adrian had been _adorable_ , after all. She’d… she’d been wondering. If he’d… if he’d needed a place to stay, a- just a little room, one within the manor. She’d… she’d be able to sneak in.

She wasn’t amoral or anything, stealing her sister’s man, but it would be… nice. She’d… she’d lost hope in the mission that they’d been given. The Relic was in Atlas, but the Winter Maiden was gone. An Arc was the Winter Maiden.

“Weiss, my sweet little daughter… Come. Come sit with your mother.”

Her mother’s hand beckoned her to come closer and Weiss moved as asked, her mother’s hands pulling her into her lap. It was a very childish thing to be sitting in your mother’s lap, but it was a nice thing, she supposed, because it was… _safe_.

“Your... Your father did not die a death that was… well, _planned_. He was meddling in many different things, things that I did not agree with, at all. This… all of this, our company, our legacy…”

Her mother’s arms pulled her close, her mother’s nose brushing through her hair, the braid brushing against her.

“All I wish for is my family safe, at home with me. I have done so much in order to assure you of that, my dear. I wished that you’d all understand that… Mister… No, _Jaune_ , he has done much for your little brother. He spoke with Whitley, he made your sister come back home with him… and- and he has brought _you_ back home, Weiss.”

She was home again. Father was dead, mother was managing the company, until she would take maternity leave. Willow Schnee was someone she could look up to, her head turning to look into the worried eyes of her mother.

“Make Jaune Arc a member of our family, Weiss. I…”

Her mother’s eyes went down, as one hand rubbed over her stomach, and her mother’s eyes slid up once more to meet hers.

“I want this new little life to meet with someone who can inspire hope in this world. A world where a young man can rise to the office of a Councilman on his merits and his warmth, one which will make Atlas a great Kingdom once more…”

Her mother’s eyes were darkly melancholic again, as her mother’s hand pressed against her stomach. She shivered a little, as the cool gaze from her mother slid over her.

“Don’t do what I did, Weiss. He will make you his Schnee angel if you let him.”

She smiled, aware that her mother was just trying to sell her Jaune Arc. Qrow Branwen must’ve left an impression, because, for a moment, she’d almost thought…

_‘That’s silly, Jaune couldn’t have had sex with mother. She’s old enough to be his mother!’_

She had no idea what Jaune’s mother looked like. A warm woman, with a motherly figure, maybe even a little fat. Caring, kind, just like him and probably three times as warm as Saphron was. She giggled a little, the fantasy coming to her mind.

“Well, I always did have that thought of Winter and myself, with the same man. A bit of sisterly bonding…”

They’d already had sex with him. Coaxing Winter into something like this would be just as easy as telling the man to ravish them both at the same time. She’d… she’d simply have to brighten his spirits. Losing two of his teammates…

_‘Ren and Nora, I hope that you’re watching over him. He’s on the verge of breaking, if that eruption of emotion was heavy enough.’_

He’d broken down after the cremation, the bodies of Ren and Nora to be returned to him in a jar, the ashes collected after the service. It was a sight that had made her worry that he was going to do something crazy, as he hung on her sister like a man drowning in his despair. She knew that she should do something to make him happier… but what?

“He lost his teammates, both on the same day. It was-“

She could tell her mother about the Winter Maiden, about the danger that Cinder Fall posed. Her mother’s eyes looked at her, the shifting on her mother’s lap nervous and unused.

“They just…”

Her mother’s arms pulled her closer, a soft shushing sound in her ear by the woman’s soft voice. A murmur, and she realized that she was crying, her voice soft as she spoke.

“ _Died_. It’s… It’s- Someone is-“

Her mother’s voice was questioning when she spoke up. The look on her mother's face was understanding as the woman's clothing shifted a little as she was pulled closer in an embrace.

“Why did they die, Weiss? Was it the Grimm?”

A question, and the face of Cinder Fall came to her mind, Nora’s laughter and the taunt that Cinder didn’t know surfacing to her mind.

“No, a… a woman. She’s… She used to- She was at Beacon, she was at Haven, and she’s been hunting for- for a Semblance. It’s- Mother, you’ll think it weird, but- Winter was supposed to get it, the General was planning on it, and-“

Her mother’s eyes frosted over. They were cold, and the conclusion that her mother had made was something that undoubtedly was wrong.

“And _Jaune_ _Arc_ was involved in ensuring that my daughter was _safe_ and his teammates paid the price for it, wasn't it?”

 _‘That… that is actually how it went._ _’_

Her mother’s hands brushed over her hair, loosening the ponytail a little and shaking her hair loose. The coolness of her eyes did not fade, as something seemed to click in her mind.

“What would have happened, if Winter inherited that Semblance, Weiss?”

Her mother’s voice wasn’t asking, it was demanding an answer. Weiss didn’t know. She didn’t know and that frustrated her, her teeth gritting as she looked away, her face turning away, as it always did.

“ _What_ would have happened to your older sister, if the General had his way? Weiss, _answer me!”_

She hated it when people shouted at her, her mother’s tone frantic. She was reminded of what had happened to Ozma and in the vision that Jinn had shown her, and... and it might be like that with the maidens.

“I don’t _know!_ I think she’d feel someone else’s Aura creep into her and then take her over, but I don’t know! Who knows if she’d be able to be Winter again, after she gets that p-“

_‘Who knows if she’ll be able to be Winter again... Jaune...’_

He would have known. If Pyrrha had been the candidate to become the Fall Maiden, he’d know of the risks, and-

“Like with the Maidens of the Seasons?”

Her mother’s voice was soft, but she didn’t like the tone. Her mother’s eyes were colder than before, as they burned with something that reminded her of the time she’d verbally eviscerated someone who’d made her scab her knee. Her mother was not the best person, but she loved them all.

“The...”

She looked down. Honesty would spare her mother the worries, even if it was something fantastical.

“My sister was to become the Winter Maiden. That’s... that’s the power that the woman is seeking. Jaune killed the former Winter Maiden and made the power go elsewhere, because he loved Winter.”

Her mother’s face could have been carved from ice with how warm it was, her eyes focusing on the desk in front of her, taking a deep breath and then smiling again. It wasn’t a happy smile of a mother who had just heard great news.

“Weiss, my dear? Could you go and fetch me a cup of tea? I’d like to try and... have a bit of warmth after hearing this news. It’s freezing in here.”

Her mother’s face did not look happy at all. There was something in those eyes that reminded her of a portrait of the great general that she’d seen during the Great War Exposition when she'd been twelve, the frost-pale hair and the eyes as dark blue as the frozen tundras of Solitas. Her mother wasn’t blonde like that, but the frozen cold of her eyes was at odds with the rather warm room.

“O-of course, mother.”

She closed the door behind her, aware that her mother was angry, that she was upset and knowing that she couldn’t do a thing. She waited for a moment, only to hear a loud curse from her mother behind the door and a ‘Not my daughter, Ironwood!’ and she lingered, aware of the frustration of her mother at hearing that her sister had been selected in some ancient mumbo-jumbo.

“Hey Weiss, what’s... what’s wrong?”

Yang’s question made her feel uneasy, the blonde’s eyes holding worry, as her friend’s human arm grabbed hers. She smiled softly, trying to keep herself looking like it wasn’t anything.

“I-it’s nothing. Mother was... she and I had a talk.”

The warmth of Yang’s arm was something that she drew comfort from, the heat making her feel tingly, her eyes meeting Yang’s own lilac ones, Yang’s encouraging smile still making the unease stick to her.

“A good talk? Or... or a bad one?”

The question made her shudder again, the look in her mother’s eyes coming to her mind again. She leaned against Yang, feeling how she was there. She could see Oscar wandering out of his room, giving the two of them a look and a smile, which didn’t quite seem to be like the smile that a fourteen year old would give.

“She’s worried for my future. Hey... do you think we can sneak in a little kissing session? I’d... I’d like to thank you for supporting Blake.”

Yang’s confusion cleared, as she followed her gaze and spotted Oscar. A warmer, more brilliant smile that nevertheless was faker than before, not that most people would notice, came to her friend’s face.

“A bit of kissy-kissy to cheer up a Weissey... Sure, let’s do that.”

They entered her bedroom after a short walk to the bedrooms, pushing open her door. Oscar hadn’t followed, she noticed, obviously not interested in what two teenagers did in their spare time. Blake was nominally a part of the team again.

“Weiss... What’s the matter?”

Yang’s hand ran through her hair, the mechanical device clicking once as it adjusted, her face showing worry.

“I told my mother about what Winter was to become, about... about Ren and Nora, and the reason why Cinder came.”

Yang’s arms wrapped around her, and Weiss pushed herself against him, remembering the cold eyes of her mother, of that anger that had welled up into those eyes. Mother was not happy.

“She looked so angry, Yang. She loves us, I’d... I’d like to believe that. It’s not something that makes her less of a mom, but...”

Yang looked at her with a smile on her lips, and she kissed her friend. It was just a kiss between friends, something to make the edge be taken off, to let her feel the warmth of another being. She wasn’t _gay_ , of course, she liked Jaune well enough, but Yang was just _there_.

She was on her bed, on her back, the blonde’s lips against hers and she couldn’t stop but feel the warmth continuing to burn in her groin.

“It’ll be fine, snowflake. She loves you, and that’s more of a thing my mom can say about me. Heh, I bet that old bird would just shake her head and go ‘No, emotions are weak, you must not show weakness’. I’ll have to ask uncle Qrow about it.”

She knew that the world was a complicated issue to deal with. Mothers and their worries was a different topic altogether, the blonde’s eyes looking at her with that hint of assurance, like they could be depended upon.

“When... When Blake left, you came and picked me up, Weiss. I’m... _Thanks_ , for that. I’m not always the best with doing things like this, and- and you’ll think it _stupid_ that I’m going to go and take this chance... But- but what Ruby did was wrong. Talking to Blake, who told Hill that Jaune had killed the Winter Maiden...”

She didn’t get what Yang was trying to say, her eyes meeting with her friend’s, and there was something in those eyes, a question.

“I’m going to go and... I don’t know, I’m just seeing him actually _do_ something, rather than just hoping that General Ironwood will know better than we do. We’re teenagers, but we’re forced into this war, and Blake’s off being a revolutionary for the ‘oppressed’ in her free time. I can’t do it anymore, and I’m _sick_ of being betrayed.”

A soft hissing came from Yang, as she turned around, her features darkening a little.

“Just _look_ at what happened. Beacon fell, we all split apart... Haven was a _lucky_ reunion for all of us. If Blake hadn’t decided that Haven’s Faunus were important, she’d undoubtedly just have sat in her comfortable chair, surrounded by her Faunus servants, not giving a damn.”

That was an untruth, likely, but Weiss didn’t refute it, as Yang’s shoulders trembled, taking a few steps away.

“Meeting you, and my mom... And- and then her again, at Haven. She said... She said that- that Ozpin lies a lot. And- and do we really know what his grand plan is, beside him not having one? Who said that it was the truth?”

He could have been lying to them, indeed. Oscar had been acting a little strange, but the child was still...

“Jinn showed us, she showed us what Ozpin was hiding from us. She’s shown us everything... _right_?”

Yang’s head turned, looking into her eyes with a determined look, her eyes flickering.

“From _his_ perspective, yes. Notice how he phrased the question: ‘How do I destroy Salem?’. That’s wrong, I’ve... I’ve heard Nora talk about it for a moment, after I talked with her at Jaune’s sister’s house. She said ‘Why didn’t he ask her for the answer to ‘how can I ensure that Salem’s curse is lifted?’ and it hit me... Why is he so focused on _killing_ her?”

That _was_ strange. The man knew that she was immortal, they’d all seen the event of their battle together. Salem had been defeated, but she had regenerated.

“What would happen if Salem were taken out?”

Yang asked, and Weiss found that she didn’t know. The Grimm were still present in the world, of course. That meant that they’d be threatening the people of Remnant still, but what would the void of power bring?

_‘Would it bring King Ozma?’_

A shudder went through her at the thought, as Yang’s hand laid on her shoulder in support.

“I’m... I’m just about done with this. Ruby and Blake was the final straw, we can’t... We _can’t_ trust Oscar anymore. Nora and Ren died, all so some stupid woman could get her power and the Relics... and we don’t even know what Salem wishes them for. Weiss...”

The blonde’s eyes were red, as she held out her mechanical hand.

“Are you with me? If he turns out to be... He’s _looking_ at Ruby. His children had silver eyes in the past, I remember because it was the colour that mom’s eyes had when I was younger, and... and we don’t know how long the host is still conscious. What if-”

Weiss felt sick. She felt sick, because she’d noticed it as well. Ruby was naive, she was a little too easy to trust. She said that they should trust General Ironwood, but who spent the most time with General Ironwood? Oscar.

“I don’t want to lose _you_ too, Weiss.”

She didn’t want to lose her friends either, but Blake had broken the team up first. She’d left after Beacon, she’d left earlier when she had went off to go to Robyn Hill’s little band of femme fatales...

“We’d be just as bad as Blake if we...”

She couldn’t say it, but she thought it. Yang’s fingers pressed against her lips and she looked into the lilac eyes.

“Why should we _die_ for someone who has a plan in the background? Think about it, Weiss. Has it been a _bad_ thing that Jaune killed the Winter Maiden? Has it upset the plan for the Amity Tower? Was it even _relevant_ that the Winter Maiden died? Why does Ironwood seem to be so intent on keeping power, Weiss? What _isn’t_ he telling us?”

She... could agree with some of the points that Yang made. The Amity Communications Tower was something that had been already set up with the intent to make the world hear the voice of the other Kingdoms once more. The General had been well-intentioned, but he’d...

Winter had sounded so convinced that the Maiden’s powers would be finding a good home within her body, but... but why? What made the Maiden’s powers essential? Atlas was held up by Gravity Dust, so it wasn’t like the Relic was needed, was it? The lamp had been in the possession of Haven for a while, so why would the Relic of Creation be needed in the Vault?

_‘Had he lied to her in order to keep the power of the Winter Maiden under control?’_

She could see it. The man was growing more erratic, especially in how he seemed to wish to exert his control over Mantle. The words in the man’s former office came back to haunt her, the words that had cast aside the issues of Mantle to focus on Atlas.

_‘It’s all a disgusting ploy for power... If one headmaster turned out to be in bed with the enemy, why couldn’t another be? Headmaster Ironwood so graciously offered me the chance to study at Atlas Academy...’_

“Weiss?”

Yang’s voice sounded concerned and quiet, but Weiss knew that she’d hit on something. There would be no reason to offer Weiss Schnee a spot at Atlas Academy, if Winter Schnee was to be a mere Specialist. Whitley certainly did not wish to enter service in the military, he wished to be his own person, so...

 _‘All in order to foster the perfect little soldier..._ ’

Her gaze slipped up to Yang’s face, her lips parting softly, exhaling quietly. It was a soft but careful exhale, something that told Yang that she’d reached a conclusion on something, the pulsating beat of her heart quickening, as she looked into the eyes of her friend.

“We’re doing something... I don’t know what, but Jaune will be here... He’s- Do you think he can be trusted?”

Yang looked down at the ground, the doubt visible on her face. There was a hesitation on Yang’s face, before she shook her head slowly.

“I’m... Keep the two of us safe, Weiss. We need to see whether Ruby can be... _freed_ , somehow. I don’t like how he’s _talking_ to her, how she’s acting. She never hid things from me, but talking to Blake, talking to Oscar, I’m-“

Yang’s eyes started to tear, her blonde mane bobbing slightly.

“It’s like she’s just blindly following the idea of what a heroine is, and she’ll be like her mother. Gone, on a mission that dad or uncle Qrow don’t even know about, forever lost. It’s like she’s willing to gamble it all on moving on and doing the ‘heroic’ thing, but... But I don’t want to lose you too. You’re her best friend, you’re a girl that I like, and- and...”

Yang’s cheeks turned pink.

“And I like you. I know you’d never leave me, Weiss.”

She was not gay. She was most definitely not gay, but when Yang kissed her, she felt her body heat up. She liked a man who wore her grandfather’s armour, but it was not easy to resist Yang. Her clothing was loosened up in less time than it took, and her breasts were pulled out, Yang’s mouth pressing against the peaks of her modest mounds.

“Hmm... They’re so small.”

She huffed a little at Yang’s words, as her friend was just... _comforting_ her. It was comfort, even as she grew wetter down below, Yang’s teeth grazing against her nipple. A low ‘Ahhhhwhmmmwahhhh’ sound came from her lips, the thoughts of other things banished as she parted her legs somewhat. It was a troublesome time to be Weiss, but this was just... hormonal things.

* * *

“Weiss? Our guest has- Oh my, I see that you got a little distracted during your search for tea.”

Weiss Schnee did not turn red at the sight of her mother entering her room whilst a blonde was currently busy between her legs. She most certainly only turned pink, rather than the deep red flush as her mother’s tired eyes accepted the fact that her blonde teammate was currently giving her daughter attention of the lesbian kind.

“Mother! Eh... We’ll be ready soon? Yes! We’ll be ready soon, and- Yang! Stop, hey, we need to get going!”

Her mother’s small smile was something that made her feel a sinking feeling in her gut, as she knew the look. Mother was being playful.

“My, since you seem to be well-occupied with a lady... I guess it will be Winter that will take the young man...”

_‘No, oh no! Damn you, cursed hormones!’_

Yang emerged from her groin like some sort of bad luck emissary of doom. She turned to her mother, her face still messy with juices of their earlier motions, embarrassment shooting through Weiss at the cheerful tone that Yang took.

“I’ll make sure that she won’t be alone, Mrs Schnee. I guess I can start calling you mom, if we make it official. Are we making it official, Weiss?”

She looked at Yang’s big Cheshire-like grin when her face turned back and knew that she was just teasing her, her cheeks flaring up.

“You may call me Mother, if you feel more comfortable... Miss Xiao Long. I do not judge my daughter for having a taste for the fairer sex... especially given how _loud_ last night was.”

_‘SHE HEARD US! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!’_

If she could sink into the earth so that she’d not be able to show her shame, as Yang flushed a little.

“Ah... yeah. I’m a bit of a screamer, sorry. We just- Yeah, Weiss has been a big help.”

Her mouth fell open as her friend betrayed her good confidence to her mother, the arousal of earlier fading to nothingness as the stark realisation that Yang was airing their dirty laundry! She’d said that she’d share with her sister Jaune Arc’s glorious manhood, and now she was doomed to eat taco forever! Fish was great, but meat? Also great!

_‘Noooooooo!’_

Her mother’s eyes were warmer, as if they’d firmly set on something that wasn’t in the plans before.

“Do I need to prepare the dungeon for your interrogation, Miss Xiao Long? Dating a Schnee is quite the difficult feat, I dare say.”

Her mother was considering it! This was catastrophic!

“Mother, we’re just... experimenting! Yes, yes! _Experimenting!”_

Yang looked at her with a sly smirk on her face.

“Didn’t sound like that last night, Weissey... I reckon you liked my ultimate weapon.”

The mechanical hand went up and it vibrated. Weiss Schnee turned tomato-red. That had been a great thing. Something great, something-

“I _know_ she is joking, Weiss. The big wink that she gave me when she looked at me clued me in. Do try to be a _bit_ more conscious of the people in the house... Your young friend Oscar went out for a midnight stroll last night due to your girlfriend keeping you awake. I could hear your shrieking for ‘faster’ in my bedroom.”

She was mortified. This was horrible news.

“However, I _do_ expect you to be present to greet Mister Arc. We must be gracious to a man who has done much for the family, Weiss. If you cannot muster the required manners, it comes to your mother to do so.”

She had to get dressed. She had to look her best, Jaune was coming! Curse her hormones and her weakness to her friend! She glanced at Yang, who looked like she needed to wipe that grin off her face.

“Hush you! Get yourself presentable! We need to greet Jaune!”

That was important as well, because there would be a time for Weiss Schnee to ascend her throne of cock. She was missing out on a lot of pleasure thanks to the whole ‘being separated’ and if it was up to her, she’d be getting arced tonight, unless he had other plans.

A quickie in the bathroom with her underwear hiked up and then told to wear it like a good naughty girl would be more than suitable too. She wanted something more! She was nineteen, and her clock was ticking!

“A quickie in the bathroom? Weiss...”

Her mother repeated, as Weiss’ mouth fell open and Yang whistled.

“Damn, you’ve got it _bad_. Ever since you decided to make our shower look like it’d had a gangbang in it, you’ve had thoughts about Vomit Boy, huh?”

_‘I was hoping you’d forget that...’_

Her mother’s look of pity was _not_ what she wanted! She wanted love! She wanted to feel a man's hands grab her and then drive her down on his hard manhood like a good girlfriend should!

“You may use a _bed_ , if you feel so inclined. I am sure that he will understand a woman’s needs.”

She was not some over-eager girl who squealed like a child when she got to see something great. Now she had to get herself ready to be respectable, representative of the Schnee house and what she represented! Whitley would be there too, undoubtedly, if mother was there.

He was more family-minded now, luckily.

* * *

“KLEINNNNN!”

She squealed loudly as she saw the older man step out of the taxi that’d delivered him and Jaune to the house, the old man smiling at her and hugging her back as she hugged him. She noticed that Whitley stood a little way back, her mother’s smile demure as it could be, the jacket that she wore having a fur trimming, looking as formal as he could.

Jaune emerged from the taxi and then paid the taxi driver some Lien for the fare, something totally Jaune to do. He was a caring man who always did what he had to do, even if it was paying a fare, the taxi driver talked to by Jaune, the engine left running.

“Hello there, little snowflake... How are you doing?”

She was so happy that she didn’t really care, hugging the man in an enthusiastic manner. Like a stalwart sentinel, Jaune stood a little ways back, her mother looking at their old butler.

“Ma’am... Mister Arc suggested that I attempt to get re-hired, since you’ve seemed to lack a domestic servant, especially since your late husband has released me from service.”

Her mother stepped closer, motioning to Whitley to come as well. Her brother hugged the man on impulse, remaining silent. She thought that he should be a bit more excited. It was Klein!

“There does seem to be a spot for a head butler readily available, Mister Sieben. Would you like to have your own room once more, or would you require adjustments? The contract can be spoken about in the privacy of the office, if you would care for a raise or some-such. A butler of your merit is a rare find, Mister Sieben.”

She hoped that mother would not delay too much with that. She was rather fond of the man. The man gently pulled himself loose before he bowed before her mother in a respectful fashion.

“Miss Willow, it will be a pleasure to take up my old contract once more. With your husband gone, I hope that the Schnee family will be entering brighter days. Though, I must ask... Bestowing the armour of Sir Nicholas on a young man like that...”

Her mother’s face set within a melancholic look, as her eyes went to Jaune, whose face looked a little less cheerful than before, an expression that didn’t fade as her mother looked at him, a small nod from her to the young man.

“Many things have changed, Mister Sieben. Many things indeed. We can discuss the reason for my bestowal of my father’s armour in private, this is really not the place to do such delicate discussions. A cup of tea might be what we need, to catch up. Mister Arc? You _will_ be joining us tonight for dinner, I will _not_ hear of you having other plans. A man who wishes to obtain a Schnee will be in attendance for dinner whilst our butler prepares his first meal in service once more.”

Jaune looked a little dubious about the offer, as if he didn’t expect it at all, before he smiled softly, his eyes a little warmer, more lively than before, as if some burden had been pulled from his shoulders and he was left to feel relief..

“I’ll let the four of you catch up. I’ve got a meeting in Mantle again, for the debate preparations... I’ll be at dinner, don’t worry.”

Weiss pouted a little, as he motioned for the taxi and got in again, the taxi driving off once more. The butler smiled at her and looked over at Whitley, whose nervous look was a little worrisome to her.

“You’ve grown a little since my dismissal, Master Whitley. I trust you are in good health?”

Her brother nodded, offering a small smile.

“It has been..., no, it is pleasant to see you again, Mister Sieben. Mother smiles once more now that Father has... _passed_.”

The man smiled and she could see her brother relax a little more, as the man’s cheerful demeanour came once more, like a warm bath. Things were going to be better, she just knew it.

* * *

Jaune sat down on the seat that’d been set out for him, the information in front of him painting a worrisome sight. He could feel the worry in his heart increase, the familiar numbness slowly starting to fade. He had to bring the children home soon, that was one of the duties that he wouldn’t shirk on. He wanted to make the world a better place for them, even if the means to do so had been not as wholesome as he’d ever expected.

The lives of Mantle mattered. The lives of the world mattered to him. A game between an immortal witch and her immortal wizard ex-husband was not in the best interest of the people that lived in this world. His father had always said that there was a choice, to do something for the world and to be the hero that you wished to be, advice that he’d taken. Father and Mother always worked for the betterment of the world, and so would he.

_‘Do you believe in destiny, Jaune?’_

Cinder Fall had to die. She had to die, for him to get peace. He knew that he would be going into the depths of darkness again, to feel how the pleasure inside him turned into something vile and wrathful. Something that wouldn’t make him into the young man that he had been raised to be, someone who could coast through life as easily as he would...

_‘I am doing this for everyone.’_

“So, what do you think? We stand a sporting chance, if Hill’s support has waned more than he thought. With your whole stunt about the SDC funding the wall, you’ve managed to rally some major support, Mister Arc.”

He nodded. He checked the time, and found that it was thirty minutes before four.

“I’ll see what I can do. If I get the seat, that’s great. If I don’t, that’s okay too. At least the wall was built, and Mantle is safer. Grimm attacks have been lower now with the wall being in place, I’ve heard...”

Dirk Pope nodded, his hand sweeping over the table.

“You’ve got this in the bag, kid. Your teammates died at an assault on Atlas Academy, you’ve got the appeal of the sympathy vote. Those tears were real, and they ate it up, an-“

His fist slammed onto the table.

“Of course those tears were real! My friend killed himself, and-“

He breathed out a few times, trying to get his temper under control. The glass on the table had shattered, as he shook his head, taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, I’m- It’s still- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

He should have held a tighter control over himself, and now he would pay for it. Dirk had startled, and Callie had dropped from her seat, whilst Mister Verde looked like he’d understood.

“No, don’t. I shouldn’t have... Of course you’re still sensitive about it. I’m sorry too, it’s just that the political strategy and other stuff... It’s a good move, play to the sympathy, go for the ‘they hurt our prospects’, a tried and true tactic. Got any plans for tonight, Mister Arc?”

He shook his heads, rising from his seat, the sword pulled back onto his back. Miss Gelato was looking at him and giving a small nod of understanding, the stern-faced woman’s expression barely changing from her default expression, yet there being something that seemed to get the loss.

“Willow Schnee has politely requested I appear at dinner with her and her family. A dinner with the lady wouldn’t be out of place, given that she’s offered her support for the wall. Her daughter’s a close friend of mine, so... I’ll be off now. The children need me.”

The man’s smile was a little less, and he knew that exploding at them like that had been the wrong option, but he didn’t want to let Nora and Ren’s death be in vain. He would have to come to a solution, something that could be done easily. He’d be in Atlas in time for dinner, but he owed it to the children that he’d been shepherding all these days. He knew that they would understand if he didn’t come, but it would be something to remember Ren and Nora by. Nora had accompanied him a few times, and Ren had watched placidly, as they did their duties.

He stood there at the school ten minutes before the school let out, the car driven by Dirk already moving away. The man had been kind enough to give him a ride, something that had come from the campaign budget, or so it’d been said. The cost mattered very little to him, aware that he’d walk there if it needed to be done. He was a Huntsman. He could run.

“Hey there, daddy... Come to pick up our daughter?”

Casey’s coy voice came from behind, as he felt her hug him, the faint brush of her hands over his chest plate intimate, and he smiled faintly at the touch, aware that it was just something of a casual thing between the two of them. She teased, but she was not sincere. She’d said that she was just someone to take the edge off, to make him sane, and he believed her.

“I’m here to keep all of you safe, Casey. You, your daughter, Nicta and the others and their children.”

He was aware that it was like a mantra now. His teammates were gone, but there were still small sparks of light that kept him from the darkness that had encroached on him.

“I got some good news, Jaune.”

She smiled warmly, as she tapped his nose impishly.

“Hmm-hmm. There’s going to be a very healthy Casey strutting around, yep. Are you home for dinner?”

He shook his head lightly, as Casey slipped away, his hand patting her side. He couldn’t help but hope that the results would remain well for Casey. She was someone who cared, and he knew that she was someone that wouldn’t make him feel bad. If... if things went better...

_"Live for yourself, Jaune. Find love! Find happiness!"_

Perhaps... a future? She wasn’t bad-looking. His sisters might like another blonde.

“I’m afraid that Willow Schnee has demanded I visit her for dinner. She desires that I present myself for inspection before she’ll let me date her daughter... A Huntsman’s duty is never done.”

He smiled at Nicta, whose face was carefully sculpted in that half-sceptical look of ‘oh really?’ as she raised an eyebrow, as Casey laughed.

“Give a call if you’ll be up with the Schnee’s in Atlas, big man. I’m just the woman who’s crazy enough to let a big hunk of sexy man walk off into the Schnee’s den. They’ll eat you raw, with some salt on that fine butt of yours.”

He was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to be eaten... hopefully. Weiss didn’t seem that carnivorous.

“I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be eaten alive...”

He was sure that it’d just be a regular dinner.

“Well, if you happen to be eaten, don’t say I didn’t warn you~!”

The smile on her lips was making him feel a little better, the warmth inside his heart slowly starting to grow once more, the warmth coming again. The world was dark and frightening, but there was still hope within the heart of people that lived here. They wished for a better, brighter future.

_‘I’m going to do my best.’_

He took a picture with his Scroll with all of the ladies, using a passerby to take it, the picture looking great to his eyes, as someone tried to pinch his butt. He looked at Nicta, who looked innocent, one of the other mothers giving him a cheeky grin.

“Alright ladies, time for us to get your kids...”

They would be escorted back home, of course.

A man who had been hurt could only show his back to those who depended on him, whilst he guarded them with his front.

_‘Ren, I won’t forget what you said. You’d die for Nora, and... and I would die for all of you.’_

The haunting whisper of Pyrrha’s words came once again, as he guided the children to their homes, their mothers for company until it was time to go up to Atlas.

“Have a nice dinner with Miss Schnee, Jaune. Call me if you’re not coming home. The man of the house should know that he’s got a warm spot in the bed waiting for him.”

He hugged her, giving her a kiss to her cheek. Her daughter politely did the ‘ewww, gross!’ sounds that he expected. She was a kind woman that cared for her daughter and him at least a little bit.

_‘I’m… if I get off without consequences, even if Winter doesn’t…’_

There was still Winter on his mind. Winter was… she was a difficult subject. They had connected on some level, and he’d sacrificed his freedom for her. He did not doubt that General Ironwood would make his life very difficult if he ever left Atlas.

“I’ll call, Casey. I won’t let you down, I promise.”

* * *

Nora watched the young _‘woman_ ’ scream into the gag as she hung in the middle of the apartment, Jaune’s mother’s fingers tracing softly over her husband’s back, the red eyes and the pale hair flicked at the two of them as she adjusted her position, touching the man's body with an affectionate caress. The man’s fingers were dancing over the back of the Happy Huntress that they had abducted. A quick moment, a big sports-bag and the woman shoved into it after she'd been given a good whack with the hammer that she'd 'liberated' from the mining crew.

The man’s face was set in a concentrated manner whilst his eyes were closed, the fingers drawing a pattern onto the back, a deep blue glow wrapping around the body of the Happy Huntress after he seemingly had completed it, taking a few steps back and wiping his forehead, the woman at his back murmuring something in the language that they used from time to time, Mantlean, old-style.

“Meine liebe… it is done. I knew that this one would crack like a little egg…”

A soft laugh from the woman, as Jaune’s father pulled the rope down, leaving the Happy Huntress to fall flat on her face, the man’s fingers snapping twice.

“You will aid these two to enter the Happy Huntresses, Miss Marigold.”

The voice of the man was hypnotic, and the way that the man had explained the powers that he wielded with his Semblance had made no sense, the eyes of the man glinting with that smug little grin as his wife slowly brushed her fingers over it.

“Very well done, meine liebe… Ach, das ist schön ein gutes mädchen, ja? Nun, lassen wir mal die kinder auf's mission schicken, und du wirdest der glucklichsten mann im Reich, ja? Ich werde dir gerne mal meine dank geben, Leonhard. Oh, manche danke fur dir, mein schatz. Ich liebe dir so sehr das es weh tut, Leon.”

The man’s wife was tugging on his pants again, and Nora knew that the two would be entangling themselves on the bed again in a short while, as the man’s eyes looked firmly at the Happy Huntress, the black marking on the woman’s back. The dull empty eyes that looked at them were a little creepy, but it was something that apparently was a ‘thing’ with his Semblance.

“I’ve got to give her the orders first, honey… Miss Marigold?”

The salute that the member of the Happy Huntresses gave was worth of a parade ground, as the man smiled at the formal.

“You will allow these two to join your band of Happy Huntresses. You will allow them to keep their cover as a set of partners that have gotten disenfranchised due to the recent lockdowns in Mantle, and to vouch for their skill. Your objective is to ensure that nobody is aware that these two serve another Master, Miss Marigold.”

A slow nod, the lifeless eyes nodding, and Nora glanced at Ren, who was sharpening the edges of the scorpion’s weapons. They apparently had gone by ‘The Queen’s Servants’ according to what she’d found out, and they made Ren look fetching.

“Robyn will not suspect me. If you had taken Fiona, she would have been unable, but I am the youngest member of the Happy Huntresses, Master. Do you have further instructions for me?”

The man’s smile was fairly handsome, much like his son’s. There was a brush of the man’s hands against the chin of the Happy Huntress, the flicker of his Aura activating and wrapping around the woman.

“Obey Robyn Hill’s orders, but if she orders you to hurt my son’s friends or my family, you will have permission to kill her. And… well, if you see my son, you may offer him your body. He’s ne- Hey, Selena!”

The man’s wife growled from her position at his hips, the woman’s fingers having already halfway divested the man’s pants, the set of slacks that the man wore on his ankles. She’d squeezed down hard on his groin.

“You are _not_ setting my son up with a man, Leonhard! He will not be less of a man! If he must have sex, he will have a _woman_ , Leonhard, not something that cannot bring a child into the world! It still has a dick! It's bad enough that Saphron's girlfriend continues to try to talk her into leaving the family!”

Jaune’s father made a soft ‘aww’ as the woman’s fingers got to work on coaxing the man to further arousal, the eyes of the woman looking up at him. The wife was definitely not someone to be crossed.

“Of course not, liebchen… Miss Marigold knows that she’ll be very hospitable. Treat my son like he is your 'Robyn Hill', Miss Marigold.”

The dull nod from the Happy Huntress as she stood there, the marks on her skin slowly sinking into the flesh, the father’s smirk enough, before he turned around to face them. Ren was looking a little uncomfortable, the body-sleeve that he wore with some extra padding up top making him look like he was a little less chesty than most girls. It was a stylistic choice. They’d seen Jaune again, just in the distance. It was something that they needed. She’d tried to call, but he hadn’t received the message, but she trusted Nicta to deliver the message that they’d be back. He was smart enough to understand that.

Nobody killed Nora Valkyrie without Jaune Arc and Lie Ren being dead already. They were a team. They lived together, they died together.

Walking out of the small apartment that had been the first base of operations for the five of them, she caught sight of the three-coloured young woman leaning against one of the walls, now clad within an illusion of a dark-haired woman that was a little taller than she was, the puff of the cigar from her lips casting smoke into the chill air of Mantle.

“Thanks for fooling Cinder.”

The small nod, as the cigar was extinguished in an ashtray that'd been put on the small balcony, a new cigar fetched and held up for a moment for inspection.

“She _deserves_ to die.”

The scratchy, soft voice was light, as the eyes flickered to a clear blue, the woman’s fingers rolling the cigar in her hands a little, as if it were something that hadn’t been already prepared.

“She took my boyfriend from me. She is to blame.”

Nora could understand. The petite woman’s hand rose and a flame appeared from her fingertips, eyes closed, the fire lighting up the tip of the cigar and the woman’s eyes opening up once more.

“What’s it like, having… y’know. _Boom? Zap?”_

The breathy laugh, a cough following afterwards. A flame appeared onto the fingertips, as it had not fully lit the cigar. It was lit again as the woman flared the fire up to blue.

“No lighters needed to light up your smokes. My boyfriend's lighter I keep for sentimental reasons. Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan, _businesspeople_. Better than hired killers, I'll say.”

The soft groan from the apartment behind the two of them was heard as the door opened and Ren joined them. The blonde hair was braided, as his features looked simply adorable in the womanly clothing that he’d started to wear as part of their transformation.

_‘He’s so cute! Oh gosh, I wonder if Ren would keep wearing this? Ooh! Two girls for our glorious leader. One with a little bit extra… Ooh, I wonder if we get to keep the dress.’_

“No, Thora. I can see that look. Fall dies first, then we can think about Jaune. You always get that excited look on your face when you think of things you want.”

It just wasn’t fair! They had to deal with the ash woman first before they could get some powie in their wowie!

“That threesome is going to happen, Rin. We’ll give Cinder’s head to him and then go to bed. It’s time to get physical.”

A cough from the woman at their side, as the cigar was pulled from her lips.

“We’re killing Fall. Jaune’s got a pack of girlfriends in Mantle…”

Nora snorted. Girlfriend wasn’t quite the word for the women that gathered around him, in her opinion. Fangirl, with a hint of more desire than genuine love.

“He actually had sex with all three Schnee women, you know? If it wasn't for Winter Schnee, the Winter Maiden would've passed her power on to her without Jaune interfering.”

The raised eyebrow was enough to clue her in that the older woman hadn’t known that.

“Does mom know about the Schnee?”

Jaune’s mother didn’t know about that yet… and neither did the father. She’d kept that little secret, even with Leonhard and Selena working together with them to make them both ‘die’ at the hands of Cinder Fall.

“No. The youngest is a friend of us, and she just went crazy for him. She definitely caught it bad.”

Neopolitan’s appearance flickered into existence again and the woman groaned.

“Darn. He must be good.”

Nora nodded, just in case the older woman didn’t get that. She spread her hands a little, trying to approximate the meat that she'd wanted to work with later.

“Big. You’d never fit.”

Sure, she might be teasing the older woman, but the response was just a soft snort of dismissiveness from the petite member of the family. The challenging smug look in those eyes was something that she liked, in how sassy it was. 

“Try me, sparky.”

_‘Oh my gosh!’_

That was what she thought it was. Ren’s Semblance calmed her down immediately. It was all relatives!

“Will we go when Miss Marigold is ready to lead us to Cinder?”

The assassin/criminal/pint-sized terror shrugged.

“Dunno. Ask them in twenty minutes or so. They’re fucking. If mom doesn't get her love, she'll be crabby. Bad things happen when she is.”

The sound of someone going ‘Aahh, yes, yes, ahhh!’ was a background noise now, after Nora had been treated to the Arc Matriarch pushing her husband down into a seat and then just mounting him.

_‘They’ve got a lot of sex… No wonder they’ve got 8 kids…’_

She wanted a whole sports team herself. Maybe with an opposing team too. Yeah, two sports teams.

Ren’s fingers laced with hers and she knew that she’d made the right choice. Cinder Fall would die and Jaune would not be burdened by the woman ever again.

_‘We are doing what we must.’_

It was for a just cause, because they knew that Jaune would drag himself into the abyss for them.

His mother’s scream of ‘Harder!’ was a momentary distraction. Nora peered back into the apartment to find the ‘persuaded’ Happy Huntress tidying up the place whilst Jaune’s mother was busy with… _‘recreational exercise’._ A recreational exercise that had the man groaning, whilst the woman’s pale legs were wrapped around his waist.

“Does that happen often?”

The petite woman nodded.

“They work different shifts. They make the most of their time together. _Eight_ kids, you do the math. If dad’s in Vacuo, Mom’s in Mistral, so when they get together, they're often not far apart.”

That explained much about the near marathon amount of sex that the couple had. Nora got a little jealous, actually. Jaune's dad seemed to be much like him, but his mother was actually very caring. 

She'd like to become a little sister to Jaune's sisters. Ren was all theirs, after all.

* * *

**Enjoy the chapter.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like.**


	19. The dinner party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss and her friends,  
> Jaune is unsure,  
> Perhaps there'll be more?
> 
> Don't trust me to write Haiku or anything.

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

She felt a little nervous, seated in the main lounge, the cakes already placed in front of them by Klein, the man’s duties as impeccable as always. Whitley was seated at her right and her mother took the chair that Father had always sat in, her eyes holding a mischievous glint as she raised the cup of tea slowly. Ruby and Blake were seated on the couch next to her, as her brother’s eyes looked between the three of them, Yang, who was currently occupying the couch next to Oscar giving a slow stretch.

“Well, it’s good to know that the staff has not been too disorderly. Would you like me to pour you a cup of tea, Miss Rose?”

The smile on her partner’s lips was warm and chipper as she spoke with her indefatigable cheer.

“Yes Mister Sieben! It’s so nice to see that you’re back here, Weiss spoke about you. Is it true that you used to be a battle butler?”

The man never had been a ‘battle butler’, but the man took it in good spirits, as he laughed softly.

“Only with cakes and the occasional demand for a chocolate parfait, Miss Rose. Lady Winter certainly enjoyed that when she was younger.”

The man was not someone who was uncaring for the friends of the family, the desire having been there once during her youth for the man to become her father, but there was nothing like that that could ever spring up between her mother and the butler. The man was older than her mother, so it would be a mere wishful fancy.

“She did enjoy ice-cream…”

She smiled at the man as he looked up at her, Ruby smiling brightly at the happy feelings that shot through her. Her mother’s soft smile was like a warming charm, her eyes going between her daughter and her friends.

“Mister Sieben and I will have to talk terms for his contract after tea, Weiss. Would you be so kind as to be the host for your friends?”

She smiled and understood what was meant with it. Tea was usually served by the host, and her mother having to speak about official business with Klein about his contract would make her be the one to pour the tea for guests. It wasn’t something that she should worry about.

“Of course, mother.”

She watched her mother get up and Klein follow, the three members of her team silent for a moment, Ruby smiling at her with a bright hopeful look on her face, as if the world was alright.

“Sooo… You’re now the butler. Do you think we’ll get to see Jaune? I… I think we need to talk.”

Weiss put down her cup, taking a deep breath. Control, excellence and a little bit of grace. If Ruby wanted to talk about things of importance, she would indulge her. They could be mature adults about this, she thought.

“We do. What are we doing about Robyn Hill and Cinder?”

Ruby looked surprised at the question and Weiss knew that Ruby probably hadn’t given it much thought yet. It was Blake’s information that they’d gotten that told them that Cinder had been in Mantle, and it was more to their detriment.

“I can talk to Robyn if-“

Yang’s fist came down on the table, her face showing irritation.

“No, we need _guarantees_. If Cinder is hunting down Jaune, we’ll need to have a plan coming for her. He’s vulnerable, didn’t you see the face he made at the funeral?”

Weiss had. Those eyes looked so lost and hurt, like the world was crumbling below his feet and he was trying to hang on to the last strand of hope that he felt.

“Robyn can work with us! She’ll do anything to protect Mantle, so if we just explain to her that Cinder is evil, we can-“

Weiss knew that it wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t work, and things would be even worse. Ruby looked hopeful that it might be a solution, but Yang and herself weren’t buying it one bit.

“You… _are_ aware that Miss Hill is going up against Mister Arc in the election, right? It would be an advantageous position for her to feign interest before delivering a crippling blow. It would benefit her to be able to strike when her primary opponent is the most vulnerable.”

Whitley spoke up and Weiss startled slightly, having forgotten that he was there. They’d really cut into a sensitive topic like this suddenly, the other members of her team looking at Whitley for a moment in stunned silence.

“I can talk to James. We’ve been… talking a bit more. He’s trying his best to defend Atlas from Cinder Fall.”

Oscar spoke up and Ruby smiled. Whitley looked a little nervous, as his eyes went to her, pleading.

“I’ll… I’ll go see whether my teacher will be ready to receive me. I still have my lessons to attend, I’ll… I’ll leave you be.”

It was a retreat, any way you saw it. Weiss smiled kindly at her little brother, the small smile on her face enough to show.

“Have a nice lesson, Whitley.”

Yang’s well-wishes made him look surprised, before he nodded softly, quietly saying a ‘thank you, Miss Xiao Long.’ He walked from the room, and Ruby looked at his departing back, looking a little guilty for some reason.

“So, you’ve been talking with General Ironwood? How’s he handling the whole situation, after… what happened?”

Oscar’s face looked grim, his eyes looking down to the table, grabbing the cup of tea and holding it in his hands, just staring at the cup for a while, his face looking innocent, his eyes looking at Ruby again, a smile that might be called fetching on his lips, if she didn’t know what lurked behind those eyes.

“Not very well. James has been quieter after what Jaune Arc did to the Winter Maiden. He’s evaluating his options, what with your uncle becoming the Headmaster of Atlas Academy. When I-“

A pause for a moment, as the smile slipped for a brief flicker, something only noticed by her, as the green deepened for an instant in those eyes.

“When I was with him, he kept on insisting that we’d know about this. He’s not taking it well.”

Of course the General wouldn’t take it well. The man had been outfoxed by Jaune, and her father had died on the same day. She couldn’t recall seeing the man the previous day, her mother having been in a state of furor, her eyes dark and moody.

“He did it. Now… now someone else is the Winter Maiden.”

The look in Oscar’s eyes was a little gloomier, as Ruby said that, her fingers tapping on the cushion at the side.

“Indeed. James says that there hasn’t been any conclusive lead on Saphron Arc yet. He’s given the order for her arrest, but the woman seems to have gone and left with her wife, one morning before she was due to come in for work. There was no Saphron Arc registered within the database in Argus, but there was a Terra Cotta registered with the maintenance work.”

The worry in Ruby’s eyes for Jaune’s sister did nothing for the worry in her own eyes as well as Yang’s. The General should not be going after innocent women who were only tangentially linked to someone that the General didn’t agree with. You didn't arrest those innocent of no crime. That just wasn't fair.

“I hope she’s alright…”

Oscar made a concerned sound as Yang said that, Blake’s eyes lighting up.

“We’ve got to find Cinder and put a stop to it. Jaune may be wrong, but he’s still our friend.”

The look on Oscar’s face was something that she didn’t like. The glint in his eyes, a deeper green colour than before, as if they were trying to draw in.

“How do you know that he hasn’t switched sides? A man who is in despair could easily be led astray by Salem’s words. James couldn’t find a Jaune Arc registered in Atlas, and-“

_‘Well duh, that’s because he wasn’t from Atlas!’_

She cleared her throat, to get the attention of them all.

“I doubt he’d even _consider_ working with Cinder if it was the best option. Didn't you see his reaction at Haven? He hates her more than we do.”

Oscar’s eyes looked at her and she had the feeling like she was back at Beacon, the Headmaster staring at her with that unfathomable gaze.

“We should take everything into account. If Cinder is working together with Robyn Hill, she must have some sort of motive behind it. Blake, do you think you can work together with Robyn Hill? She must think well of you, and if there is some kind of effort you can make…”

Blake looked at Ruby, whose face showed determination, her eyes sparkling with a bright smile on her face. Blake nodded, like the good little ‘teammate’ that she was.

“We can make the world a better place, guys. Let’s do what Oscar says, and hope that General Ironwood has some sort of plan for the defeat of Cinder! The Ace Ops are Atlas’ Finest, so… Let’s trust him.”

_‘Just like we trusted him with the knowledge about the Relic and about what Salem’s little problem with staying dead is?’_

Oscar smiled, the cup of tea rising to his lips and sipped, as he smiled.

“I’ll be able to call James in a few minutes, right now, he’s busy with a council meeting. We can place our trust in him, he’s never let us down. He loves his Kingdom with his whole heart. A great plan, Ruby.”

Her partner smiled, and the conversation drifted to how nice the cake was, Ruby’s excitement about something that she’d wanted to buy. Weiss poured some more tea, Blake hesitantly starting to shift a little.

“Yang… Can we- _talk_ for a bit? I’m s-“

Yang’s eyes lit up with anger, the fury within the eyes of the woman showing clearly that her bottom line had been reached and pushed past, getting up.

“You’ve made it _clear_ , Blake. I will work together with you, but I don’t appreciate trying to make merry as if you didn’t leave me.”

The mechanical arm was raised and the ‘ultimate weapon’ buzzed and quivered a little. The look on Yang’s face was thunderous, and Ruby looked fidgety. It was Oscar who spoke up again.

“Now, Miss X-, _Yang_ , we are all working together for the cause of making sure that the world is a safer place. Shelf your anger, this is what Salem wishes for. Unity, rather than being divided, is what will make the world better.”

Yang looked at Oscar, before her face softened a little, and she breathed out calmly, her eyes looking into Weiss’ for a moment flicker of a moment, face relaxing slowly as she put a smile on her lips, before she sighed softly.

“Yes… You’re right. I’m sorry, Blake.”

The Faunus smiled, and Weiss kept her features as smooth as she could, as she could feel the hint of mistrust rising, as Blake tried her best to give her apologies in as smooth a manner as she could, her eyes trying to show that she was sincere.

_‘Trust…’_

“It’s… It’s okay. We’ve all made mistakes. Fresh start?”

Yang shook Blake’s hand with her flesh hand, smiling at her teammate and friend. Weiss didn’t know how much that hurt exactly, but there was that feeling of being right back at the party to fundraise for Mantle, with her father. She felt alone, as Yang left her too. There was pain, but she couldn’t show it.

_‘Why?’_

She felt cold and alone. She felt so alone right now that it was almost like the separation between her and her team. Ruby smiled brightly, as if she couldn’t see how odd it was, as if everything had to be peaceful, because she was Ruby Rose, and she was… not hurt at all.

_‘Why are you all trying to smile? Doesn’t Jaune’s loss mean anything to you at all?’_

She’d admit privately that she thought he was cute, that he was someone who definitely would be worthy of a Schnee. She knew that he would be there for dinner, aware of how things were.

“Your little brother, Whitley… Is he doing okay? He looked a little… _unwell_.”

The question by Oscar came from the left field, and she floundered for a moment. Whether her little brother was okay… well, she didn’t think so. He’d found father, and he’d been the one to be more brotherly.

“He’s the one who found father, but I-“

_‘Why am I telling him that I think he is a little better? Since when did Oscar get to know what happened in my personal life?’_

She was a private person, at least to those who weren’t in her circle of friends… which looked like it’d shrank to Klein, her brother and sister, and her mother and Jaune. It… it kind of hurt. This was how you saw who your friends were, during times when nobody could agree on something.

“I think he’ll be fine. He’s learned how to deal with disappointment thanks to father.”

Oscar’s face she watched closely, as she brought the cup of tea to her lips, putting Daddy’s Smile on her lips. The polite smile that she always wore when she had to be the pretty little songstress, the girl who could do anything in front of the crowd. Public speaking had always been something that she hated, but she knew how to do it. Oscar spoke up, trying to look like a child, but those eyes were not of a child.

“Perhaps I should talk to him. It’s been… heh, pretty hectic, alright. He must be feeling alone and perhaps he’d like to be friends with us rather than be stuck in his room studying, right Weiss? He’ll be running the company, won’t he? If your mother retires or remarries?”

The smile remained. She put her best look of sincere worry on her face, as she looked at Ruby, whose eyes were gazing at Oscar.

“Of course, it might be good to spend some time with him. He’s got his studies, but he’ll be inheriting the company when he turns twenty, or if mother retires and doesn’t remarry.”

The skittering nerves were running and racing over her body, as she felt the dread collect within the pit of her stomach, aware that there was something that Oscar was playing at, because nobody that age should ask about inheritance stuff, least of all a farm boy.

_‘I don’t trust you…’_

Oscar turned to Ruby, whose smile was brighter at the young boy, Ruby’s age closer to Oscar’s than her own, and it showed.

“How about we go and see whether Whitley would like to play some games, Oscar? All work and no play makes for a dull day, or so my dad used to say.”

_‘No, no.’_

Yang smiled at her younger sister whilst she got up and brushed herself off. She looked like she was ready to do something, as she gave a cocky grin to her younger half-sister and spoke up.

“Ah, don’t worry Rube, I’ll go check on the kid with you. How about we go all and play some games with Whitley, huh? I think they’ve got half an arcade here, heh. Bet you that I’ll be beating the records on the punching machine, if they’ve got one.”

Not quite, but there _was_ a games room. There would be an hour or three before dinner was served, so she could play some games, if mother and Klein didn’t return from the contract-signing. There wasn’t much they _could_ do right now.

She caught Yang giving a very tiny nod to her, and she felt some relief at things, and she drank her tea. She’d go and mingle with her younger brother for a bit.

She’d keep _him_ safe.

* * *

He arrived in the late afternoon, stepping out of the taxi that he’d taken from the air docks, a soft hiss from the car doors shutting and the taxi driver speeding off, his weapon at his back, the armour with its cape looking as fashionable as it could. He looked like a warrior returning home, and… he had to ring the doorbell.

“Mister Arc.”

The butler, who looked a lot better dressed in his formal outfit rather than the one that he’d worn a few hours ago, gave a small smile, as he opened the door for him. Jaune could see that there were fewer members of staff around, the man’s body moving swiftly to shut the door behind him.

“Lady Willow is expecting you in her study. She has to speak with you. It is highly important, she has said, and we will be serving dinner in an hour and a half.”

That meant that it was something that had to be said between the two of them, because he certainly did not think that he’d be called to her office on a mere ‘booty call’ as Casey had teased him about. That meant… serious stuff. She had, of course, found out about Jacques’ death and Whitley’s involvement in it, he hadn’t expected anything less of her.

The woman was a lot of things, but a mother she most certainly was. As he followed the butler, his armour clinking a little as he stepped over the soft carpets on the floor towards the office, the same place where he had seen Jacques Schnee die, he felt the sorrowful sensations inside his chest burn once more. It was the pain inside him that didn’t quite stop, that did not make his body feel rested.

“Mister Arc… It is not my place to say as a butler, but… _thank you_. The Lady has spoken about you and what you have done for the young mistresses and the young master, so I have to-“

He gave a soft sound of amusement. He was a killer. He could never be a hero that would be featured within the storybooks, or someone who would not be called a villain in another tale, the burden that he had taken upon him the moment he had decided to choose the good of the people over the security of being a hero.

“I would have done it, for them. Winter does not deserve to be without her mother, and neither do Whitley and Weiss. I love- No, I don’t think I’m worthy of her love, even if she offers it. I’ve-“

It was all for the good of the people. Ren and Nora had died, because he had messed up, because he hadn’t been the docile little sheep who let people suffer and then cried for the great wizard to save him.

_“And in the end, when the great hero gazed upon the tower that he had built, what did he have left? Friends? Family? A home, except that dread tower? No. He just had a tower. An empty tower, stone and wood and mortar, and nothing more.”_

The words that were familiar, that were from the past.

“I’ve done many things that wouldn’t be called ‘proper’ for the partner of Winter Schnee or Weiss Schnee, Mister Sieben.”

It was a confession, of sorts. Not revealing too much, but also not incriminating himself. It was the wonder of a lie, and the stone of another anchor added to his already sinking body.

_“In the end, what good will they do? They will die. They will fade away like grains of dust on the wind, and you will remain. In the end, you can only cling to the things that you know are consistent… Know this, Jaune. People will abandon you when they see an advantage. The world is cruel and cold, my child… And when you are all alone, when you have nobody else to care for you… I will still love you. You will still be my dear and beloved child, even when all your sisters have become what they have always wished to become, Jaune. Give up those silly dreams of being a Huntsman…”_

He hadn’t given up. He hadn’t stopped believing in his friends, in the friends that he’d been traveling with, but now, with this frozen cold blizzard roving through his heart and freezing the excess emotions inside him that threatened to erupt…

_‘I can’t take it anymore…’_

He wanted to give up.

He wanted to just take a step off this Kingdom and shatter to the ground in a thousand pieces, to join Nora, Ren and Pyrrha…

But he could _not._

Cinder Fall still drew breath, and he would not be someone who stopped half-way. She would be screaming into that deep dark pit of hell with him, and he'd find peace, knowing that a monster had been slain.

“Mister Arc?”

He looked at the portrait of Nicholas Schnee that had been hung up on the wall, looking at the large face that dominated the portrait, the armour that he wore something that was defensive and strong, but also a chain that hung around him. Willow had given him the armour, obviously to protect him so that he could protect her daughters.

“I was just thinking. I wonder what Nicholas Schnee would have thought of me.”

The butler seemed to understand, as he spoke up.

“I had the pleasure of knowing the man for a while, as he was the one who originally hired me, when Jacques Schnee married into the family. He would have appreciated the love you showed for his granddaughters, Mister Arc. He was a kind man who worked hard for the people of Mantle, before his untimely passing.”

Jaune kept his silence, as he smiled, the smile becoming more of a grimace that sometimes surfaced on his features. A murder for a murder. Jacques Schnee had died to remove a threat on the board that wouldn’t emerge until the election’s process had fully been completed, as well as to remove a threat to Winter if he didn’t get to kill the Winter Maiden.

“He would have liked you. Anyone who helped out the daughter he loved so much would have been welcome. Lady Willow giving you his armour was a sign of her trust in you, because you ensured that Weiss was kept safe. She told me about you saving her life.”

He had done it because he couldn’t bear to lose her. His Aura had been pushed into her and his Semblance had finally shown itself. The power inside him burned still like a flame without an end, as he looked at the man.

“I don’t want to lose people. I… I fear losing people the most. My team were-“

He trembled a moment, before he tried to reassert his calm. A cool mind prevailed, where hot ones often failed, great-grandmother had said.

“killed, a few days ago. You might’ve heard, but…”

Calm, controlled and clear of mind, he should be. The tears didn’t stop coming. It was a soft whisper that came from his lips as he could see them standing there at the edge of the street, their hair different but still so uniquely ‘Ren and Nora’, even though they were _not_ Ren and Nora, because they were dead. He was losing it, he knew. He wasn’t someone who could be a hero, who could be the one bringing home the princess.

“I heard, from the rumours in the bar. Your teammate killed himself after losing his girlfriend, and you delivered a speech afterwards, even with the pain. Mantle does not break. Powerful words, for the older generation. Master Nicholas had not believed in the words spoken by the General, but he knew that the core was strong. He knew that there was no escaping the past, that it forged the future.”

The words brought to mind his great-grandmother again. The cold woman’s expression as she sat beside the hearth, the portrait of grandfather and her, as well as great-grandfather and her.

_“I will always remember that moment, when my world froze over and I looked at the people who clamoured for my guidance. War is a means to an end, Jaune. It is an ungraceful and unsophisticated affair, and I wish you to remain far from it. You are much like… much like my former husband. Kind, gentle, someone who cares for the people around him. When they betray you, grandson… When you realize that this whole world is built upon the lies of those who think that they know best… Family is the one thing that you can trust in.”_

He owed Willow. He owed Winter. He owed Weiss. He owed Whitley as well. The Schnee family and himself were undoubtedly linked, and he owed them much. If he married Winter, he’d be a part of them, but he knew that the Winter Maiden’s powers would be considered a game-changer.

_‘I’m so sorry, Winter.’_

They arrived in front of the office. He could open the door, to see that spectacle happen again.

Jacques Schnee rising from his seat. Whitley moving to his father’s side, as the man shouted at him. A stab. The gurgling, gasping death of the man, as he looked down at the body as it expired. The gauntlets used to send a pulse through the body, to check whether there was life left. Comforting Whitley, whose face had grown pale and bloodless, the young man staring at the body of his father, the man he’d just stabbed with Tyrian’s stinger.

“Lady Willow? I have brought Mister Arc.”

The butler announced him and the door was opened for him, leaving him to stand there in front of the opened door to the office, the woman seated behind the desk wearing a formal suit, her eyes looking at him.

“Klein? Fetch Mister Arc something to drink. We have important things to discuss, involving the fate of my family. You may…”

The woman’s eyes closed for a moment, as she took a very deep sigh.

“You may consider him to hold the same privileges as my late husband. He is a member of the Schnee family, whether he wishes to be or not. Join us afterwards.”

The woman motioned to the chair in front of her, the desk cleared of the papers, the terminal shut down with a flick of her finger on the touchpad, her eyes looking up at him as he sat down. He didn’t know what the woman wanted with him, but it was already more than he had expected.

“ _Jaune_ …”

The woman’s eyes were moist, as she spoke with visible emotion in her voice, her gaze troubled, taking a deep sigh after she spoke his name, the formalities dropped immediately.

“Did you kill for my daughter?”

The question was unusual, but it was expected. The murder of Jacques Schnee was for all of them, and they all deserved freedom from the chains that bound them.

“Would you have killed for her?”

He turned the question into a rhetorical one, as the woman nodded her head. She looked at him for a long moment.

“Weiss spoke to me about Winter becoming… becoming the Winter Maiden. She said that General Ironwood planned for her to become the Winter Maiden. You prevented that. She can’t lie to me, you were involved.”

He had. It had been for her, for Weiss… for the others who had been hurt by this senseless war. This whole war was about power, about who was left standing after the fighting had died down. One immortal, switching bodies every thirty to forty years and another, immortal as she was through a curse of the gods.

“I killed the Winter Maiden and showed her pictures of women I know. It couldn’t be your daughter. Weiss would never be allowed to leave Atlas, if the thought of her sister could send those powers to her. I could not let her suffer that burden.”

The older woman looked at him for a long while, before she nodded, turning her chair towards the portrait of her husband that hung there. He could see the loose ponytail slowly shift a little, as she looked up.

“My husband, now deceased. I had thought him to be a kind man, a good man and father for the children. All I wished for was to do my father proud, to keep the company going and to enjoy life with him.”

The woman paused for a moment with her words, the soft exhale coming from her lips like a deep sigh, as if she were genuinely bothered by something, a weight on her shoulders.

“Are you who you say you are, Jaune Arc? Are you someone who can tell me honestly that he is here for my family?”

The tone of voice was sharp and she turned around, her eyes looking at him with a fire in them that showed the strong spirit that Weiss and Winter had both inherited. Boundless love, as he remembered his mother saying, was the most powerful force in the world.

“Does it matter what my name is, if it makes your daughters survive? Does it matter whether _‘Jaune Arc’_ is the one to stand before the council and declare himself a member of that body? I know that I will die.”

He expected nothing less, but it would be fighting against Cinder Fall, a woman who did not stop for any reason in her quest for power. He looked into the woman’s eyes deeply and breathed out again, the stern gaze on the woman’s face, as she placed her palms onto the desk and rose.

“Would you care for them, even if I cannot? Would you love them and cherish them, like the women they are, rather than the benefit they can give you?”

A dangerous way of speaking, but the anger in the woman’s voice was real. Ren and Nora were gone, and Pyrrha was starting to fade, as brighter voices and sparks of life had entered his own. He watched the woman’s features, looking into the woman’s.

“Are you all words, Jaune Arc? Does my family not mean anything more than a title, a bit of ‘fun’?”

_‘No.’_

Her face did not change, her gaze directly peering into his own like it wished to tear into him like a hungry snow leopard did into a deer or something, his answer not accepted by her. He spoke up again.

“I would take responsibility for them even if they do not want me to. They don’t deserve to die for a hopeless cause, they deserve to love, to live their lives and marry someone better than me, Willow.”

His voice was lower in the register, something that he’d learned from his father, his eyes meeting Willow’s as he mustered his determination, his gaze still peering into hers, the cool stern face looking into hers.

“And if she were to get pregnant? Would you claim the child as yours?”

That was a stupid question.

“Of course! It’s still a reason for me to fight even harder, to drag that fiery bitch down into hell, so that there won’t be people standing in… in…”

Pyrrha. Ren. Nora.

All he had been able to do was apologize for not being able to stop her. Willow spoke up, echoing words that he had heard before, spoken from his own mouth.

“ _standing_ in front of a statue, _apologizing_. Jaune…”

The woman’s eyes softened a little, and she rose to her height, still smaller than he was, walking around the desk and laying her hand on his back, rubbing over his back slowly.

“It’s okay to cry. Just… let the tears come out.”

The desk was wet. Had he been crying? Had he been crying, because he couldn’t stop Cinder Fall? Had this been something that she’d noticed? She was a little like his grandmother, who had been fierce and willing to test people for their strength.

“Will you stay the night, Jaune Arc?”

She didn’t press the name issue, her voice softer, as she spoke with a soothing manner, as he sat down. A handkerchief, red in colour, was pressed against his cheeks, wiping the tears away.

“I will. I’m… I would do _anything_ for my friends and family. Winter is a very special woman, someone who lights up when she dances, when she’s able to be free to be who she wants to be. Weiss is determined and driven. I admire her, because she’s beautiful, because she’s- _Weiss_.”

Willow’s arms wrapped around him and he could smell the muted perfume that she wore, a soft exhale coming from her lips, as the woman pulled him against her, a motherly gesture, and he let himself relax a little, as she peered into his eyes.

“I’m asking you… Will you stay the night, Jaune?”

He looked into her blue eyes, before he nodded softly. Staying the night wouldn’t be bad, he might need to be around… around Weiss and Whitley and Willow, as well as Ruby. He could trust them, he… he thought he could.

“I’m… sure. I’ll stay. The least I can do for the woman who could’ve become my mother-in-law, right?”

A small laugh, as her lips pressed against his cheek in a kiss that was chaste. The door opened up and he could hear the butler entering the room.

“I understand, Mister Arc.”

She did, perhaps. The power of the Winter Maiden would never land within a Schnee’s body.

“Mister Arc?”

Willow let go of him, as she turned to the butler, who had placed a cup of tea on the table in front of him.

“He has been the one who saved Winter and Weiss, Klein. Please consider him to be a member of the family. He is the one I spoke about briefly earlier during our contract negotiations.”

The man gave a sound of surprise, and Jaune wasn’t sure whether that was because he’d now unofficially became a member of the family or just whether the man knew about the crimes that he had committed.

Ren and Nora would have supported him either way, because they were dedicated. They did not care about what he was, who he was, or what he had done before he’d entered their lives. They were with him, even at the moment when he’d decided to do something.

“We will have dinner in an hour, Lady Willow.”

The woman nodded, taking a seat again and then closing her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as she did, gathering herself. She opened them again and smiled, a warm smile that made his heart jump a little at the sudden emotional side that appeared.

“Make it something special, Klein. We’re all together again, as a family. Father would have wanted a hero to wear his armour.”

The man smiled at the woman who’d been close to him before, Jaune’s expression barely changing as the man placed a slice of cake in front of him, a small nod of the head the only acknowledgement that he gave to the man.

“Thank you, Klein. You may leave us for the time being. Mister Arc and I have some business to discuss about the election, as well his options for afterwards.”

The butler took his leave, and he looked at Willow. His mood was dark, as he realized how alone he was. He had wanted his mother to hug him and tell him that it was all okay, to hear from her that it was just a bad dream, that everyone was alive, but that was just a wishful fancy of his, knowing that the reality of the world was cold and uncaring.

“Jaune, do you remember what you told me?”

The woman’s face looked heavy, her eyes dark, as she pushed herself up from her seat again, his eyes closing. He smelled her perfume as she suddenly sat down in his lap, the propriety of earlier gone, as his eyes opened, her hands gripping to the edge of the breastplate.

“You would fight for my family. You _have_ fought for my family, and that’s something that I cannot repay you for enough. I am but a woman, alone in the world, yet I have my wits and my skill.”

Classical words, those which had stated more than enough times that there would be no alterations to the course, the burden of his sins growing evermore. She was there, she was here and the tears just kept on coming. It was not the familiarity with the first woman that he’d had sex with, but the comfort that someone who was a mother, who was someone that he could put his faith in for a moment, as the pain just kept on burning like a lit fuse to the agony inside him.

“Just.. cry, okay? Everything’s going to be fine, Jaune. You’re someone who saved my daughter, someone who made Winter be safe, and I want you to know that you’ll always be in my heart as someone who has earned the right to wear the armour of my father. It would be a thing worn by my husband, if he had the skill, but... But you've _more_ than earned the _right_.”

He didn’t speak up at all. He didn’t speak up, as he felt the pain burn through his body at the thought of what he was to do.The tears came without stopping, as she murmured shushing words into his ear. She was present, her fingers stroking through his hair. It wasn’t the raw sexuality of Casey, but the comforting feeling of the woman who had taken his virginity, who had been someone who had needed the touch of him in her life for a moment of fun.

“I feel so lost. Ren and Nora died… I don’t know what to do. Do I stick to the plan, in order to kill Cinder?”

He spoke aloud, the woman’s hands gently stroking through his hair as she exhaled. A quiet moment between the two of them, her gaze meeting with his and her lips parting quietly as she spoke, a quiet, gentle tone of voice.

“Keep my family safe, Jaune. If you care for my daughters…”

He would do it anyways. Cinder Fall was a danger to the world with her thirst for power. The power that rested now nowhere near any woman in Atlas, the power that would unlock the vault to get to the Relic of Creation.

“I do.”

He couldn’t stop himself from saying that, as she got up, kissing his cheek. It was not a kiss that would be mistaken for a lover’s kiss, something that was to soothe him, as she wiped his tears away again. He would fight for those people who needed him.

“Thank you.”

She just held him for an hour, with few words being said. The cake had gone uneaten, the woman’s eyes half-closed as she dozed away, his eyes catching the tiredness from her, the woman’s stressful life undoubtedly not aided by having to manage the company.

“Lady Willow?”

The butler came, and Jaune looked at the woman who leaned against him, holding him, her head resting in the crook of his neck. He wasn’t someone who had been blessed with the foreknowledge of being aware of the differences, the man’s expression changing not much, as he lightly shifted the woman on his lap, her legs dangling a little.

“Dinner will be ready soon. Lady Willow?”

The woman roused, her face turning to the butler, who smiled kindly.

“I will instruct you in which bedroom to prepare for Mister Arc after dinner has been served, Mister Sieben. It seems we will have another guest tonight.”

He knew that he should call Casey if that happened, so that she wouldn’t worry too much about it. Willow got up from his lap, her fingers touching over his cheek, as she sighed.

“Mind if I call someone to tell them that I won’t be attending dinner?”

She shook her head, and he dialled Casey’s number, calling her, the feeling of warmth inside his chest as she answered.

“Hey there big man of mine… How’s the party at the Schnee home, huh? Come to tell me that you’re going to be one of the people who’ll be laying in the big bed and having two hot Schnee women on your arm, huh?”

The cocky and amused tone of voice that Casey had, as Willow gave a soft breathy laugh at the thought. It was not something that he would expect immediately. The woman had seen him as fun, it hadn’t been like with Winter.

“ _No_ , but she did tell me that I should stay the night. I’ll see you tomorrow morning when I come to pick up the kids, okay? Take good care of yourself.”

The camera function opened up and Casey’s bright smile came to her face, as the doorbell rang, the woman showing a picture of the kitchen.

“Will you answer the door, sweetie? Mommy’s busy calling with Mister Arc.”

He saw the smile as he heard the girl’s happy ‘yes momma!’ come from the distance, and her eyes shimmered with that warmth.

“Give the ol’ Schnee woman a night that she’ll never forget, champ. Mantle doesn’t crack, Jaune. Thank you for being who you are.”

He smiled, as he was aware of his entanglements. He doubted that it would come to sex, Willow just didn’t seem the type.

* * *

_“Calling me is… unusual.”_

_The fingers that held the Scroll were holding it tightly, as the look on Winter’s face on the video call didn’t change, the camera function recording him immediately as he could see her face light up somewhat under the dark light, the woman’s features haggard and tired. It was three in the morning, and Casey had cuddled up against him, visible in the corner of the screen._

_“Jaune, I’m… I’ve done some thinking. Those few days when you were with me, when you said-“_

_The hesitation on her features, her hair messy and without great order, the woman’s expression changing barely from the tiredness that came with her position and the stresses on her. He could understand it._

_“You wouldn’t let me drop. You wouldn’t let me fall, and… and I see what you’ve done, why you’ve done it.”_

_He had done it for her and for her sister and brother. Her mother’s freedom had been bought with his crime of murder, and his sin of determining who lived and who died._

_“We can be together. There is no maiden power now, you’ve…”_

_She hesitated, as she pushed herself a little deeper into her bed, the glow of the Scroll illuminating her features softly, as she started to tear up, the droplets leaking down her cheeks._

_“You’ve sent it away. Jaune, please…”_

_Her voice was pleading in a familiar tone, as he remembered the feeling of having been with her, the warmth that she had showed. There was something terribly loving within her voice, a freshness that was like the sweet love that he’d only heard about._

_“So, we can-“_

_She hesitated, and she looked at him, her lips pressed in that stubborn fashion that Weiss also had. She was a woman who was older than him, a woman who would not be denied. His manhood responded automatically to that look of power, hardening as Winter Schnee regarded him with an imperious look._

_“I’ll get an apartment, I’ll quit the Specialists, there will be nothing that can stop us.”_

_Hope, need, something more in her voice. She was burning like a moth in the flames of this great war, and he knew that he had to deny her. The thought of a little apartment, with her waiting for him, just as Casey waited for him…_

_“Winter, I’m… I’m sorry. I can’t accept it, and- and you know that.”_

_He wanted to. He wanted to make sure that she was safe, that Weiss was safe. Power… what did one need power for._

_“Because you want to keep me safe, because… Damn you, and curse you for making me feel this, Jaune. This is not over yet.”_

_She looked at him with the same look that her mother also had, and her eyes gazed at him._

_“I will make you fall for me, Jaune Arc! I will make you realize that there is more in this world than just your vengeance, that there is hope! If it’s Weiss or myself, I don’t care, you are important. Even if we have to do a co-wife marriage, we will not make you destroy yourself.”_

_Her voice was angry and passionate, as she looked like a fierce tiger. A little like his mother when her father had come home and he’d been still awake, the sound of a loud ‘Leon!’ and then the sounds of his father being manhandled into the bedroom._

_“There is more in this world than serving the military, there is more than blindly obeying the orders, like we’re taught here! You’ve shown me what it’s like to feel the pain inside me, when you told me that you’d be there for me always, Jaune Arc! Take responsibility for what you’ve done, because I love you, and until you accept it, you’re not dying by some selfish bitch her hands!”_

_It was passion, it was hope for the future and he just didn’t know. The raw wound inside his heart did not stop, and he knew that Winter would not stop, as determined as she was. He was cursed and he knew it._

_“Good night, Winter. You know that I can’t accept your feelings.”_

* * *

She hadn’t called again. Casey smiled, as her daughter shouted that it was one of her friends.

_‘That’s good… She’ll have a friend coming to visit her.’_

He’d survive for a little while longer, as she cut the connection off, leaving him with Willow, the woman’s eyes regarding him with that look of understanding, as he was hugged again, the Scroll tucked away in a pocket.

“Let’s go to dinner, Mister Arc. Please… just let me take care of you.”

He would.

* * *

Weiss watched the people at the dinner table, the dishes that sat on the table prepared with a scrumptious manner of presentation, making her feel the need to take a picture, Klein standing at the corner of the room in his formal uniform, the man at the head of the table looking like he belonged there, seated next to her mother, who wore something a little more domestic, the wardrobe change having been swift, a flowing white gown that made her look younger, a set of heels that had come with them that she’d never seen before.

“Mister Arc, thank you for making your appearance here. We owe you a debt of gratitude and that shall be repaid.”

The words of her mother brought to mind a different form of repayment. Her body laid on the table, with seafood on the delicate white flesh, his hungry eyes gazing at her, as he plucked the food from her, before she’d be wholly nude. A shiver went through her, as her eyes looked at Yang, who sat opposite of her, Ruby at her side, humming softly.

Whitley had been a good player in some of the arcade games, after she’d dragged him out of his room. She’d kept alternating the games, figuring that it wouldn’t be a good idea for Oscar and Whitley to strike up too much of a friendship. She did not trust him, and Yang seemed to be making friends with Blake again, which… she wasn’t sure about either.

“I’d be devastated if I lost her. She is one of my precious friends, and… and if I’d been there at the time, Nora and Ren might still be alive.”

It was a grim sadness on his face that made her feel sadness as well, knowing that he’d lost his whole team, that he was the only survivor, the blue eyes no longer as kind and warm as they had been before, allowing her only a glimpse at the frozen chill that had invaded those eyes.

A man who had a similar chill in his eyes had sat in that very same seat, but the man who sat there now wore the armour of her grandfather, her mother’s smile warm, as she raised a glass to him, and Weiss did the same, as did Whitley.

“What are your plans, Jaune?”

She asked, and his smile was hesitant and boyish again, like he had little clue about what to do, his eyes searching for something that he did not obtain yet.

“I hope that I can make something happen for the people of Atlas. They deserve to be represented, to know that Mantle and Atlas are the same.”

She could understand that. He had been critical of Blake and he’d been _right_.

“By using nationalist rhetoric? Mantle does not crack is not a cry you should use, if you want the people of Atlas to believe in you.”

Oscar spoke up, and Weiss had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t knowledge that a farmboy should know. It sounded too familiar with the inner workings of Atlas than a farmhand’s knowledge should supply.

“Jaune, is there some way that Salem can use to get to your sisters? We just want them safe, and the Winter Maiden is needed. It’s important, the General just wants to help. “

Ruby’s words made Jaune smile softly, as he seemed to find that amusing. He hadn’t said much about his sisters, which made her feel all the more worried that Salem might do something, but he must’ve had a plan. If it was easy to track them down…

“I know where they are, or well... most of them. Cinder would have no way of knowing where they were, even if she searched the kingdoms.”

That was strange, but it was something that she could understand. Ruby’s uncomprehending look was something that made dread well up inside her.

“Why? They are still Arcs, right?”

A soft smile on Jaune’s lips, as he laughed softly.

“Most women _don’t_ keep their maiden name once they marry. My sisters are _all_ older than me, so the fact that most of them have already married keeps them safe. Most hospitals are using the Colours Rule with the naming of their clients, so most of my sisters adopted their husband’s name. Dad’s the only one who took his wife’s surname.”

That made sense, she guessed.

“My late husband did that as well. Would you care for a Schnee bride, Mister Arc? I’ll allow her to take the name of Arc, if she wishes.”

The image of herself in a wedding dress, heavily pregnant, standing next to her husband to be, before he’d go and marry her. Pregnant wedding sex…

She might just be on a hormone rush, but that was not something that disappeared from her mind easily, as Jaune smiled calmly, his eyes glinting with a hint of hope in them, as his gaze met hers and the smile continued to linger.

“I don’t think I’d like to change your daughter’s surname, Mrs Schnee.”

Her mother smiled, as she laid a hand on his arm, an intimate gesture that showed comfort, as the warmth of that smile was different from the broken smile of the past, when the gesture had been repeated with Jacques Schnee.

“Call me Willow. You’ve had relations with my daughters, so it would not be rude to speak to me as if you were my daughter’s partner.”

The hope that came in her heart of her mother and Jaune coming to some agreement, as he smiled at her mother, whose eyes closed half-way for an instant as she watched the five of them at the dinner table from her position next to Jaune.

“Thank you, Willow.”

The smile on her mother’s lips made her feel a warmth in her heart, as they started with dinner, Jaune eating calmly, even with her body heating up. It was a brief feeling of a foot against hers, as Yang gave her a little smile, her attention turning back to Blake, who looked like she was getting ready to consume the tuna filet that’d been put in front of her.

After dinner was done, they returned to the seating room for some after-dinner tea, Ruby and Oscar deciding to go to one of the sparring rooms. She would make sure that there would be some time to talk to Whitley, approaching her brother and motioning with a finger to her side that she’d like to talk, in private. Atlas etiquette lessons had been important, as her mother’s eyes regarded the two of them for a moment, before the woman turned her back to them and started to talk to Jaune.

“Are you okay, Whitley?”

He looked relieved, a little, as she asked him that, his eyes going down to the ground, her voice lighter, as he looked up, a little tremor going through her.

“Y-yes, Weiss. I’m just… careful.”

She put her arm around him, feeling how he came closer to her, walking from the sitting room, Yang and Blake making conversation with her mother and Jaune, the sting of abandonment coming a little heavier than before, as she pulled him into one of the rooms.

“What do they want from me?”

It was a question she had no answer for. She had convinced him to play games rather than study, but…

“Who?”

The look in Whitley’s eyes was dark, as he turned his gaze to the window.

“Your partner. She's with the young man who calls himself Oscar, who tries to be my _friend_. I don't... i don't feel good about them.”

She didn’t know. She didn’t want to know what Oscar Pines had in store for Whitley, but she knew that it wouldn’t be anything good.

“What do you think they want?”

She tried to probe his opinion, as her brother’s eyes turned to meet her.

“The company, likely. I stand to inherit if mother passes, and I know that I will have the best of care available, so they are trying to influence me. Father warned me for that, and I haven’t forgotten it. Do… Do I tell Jaune about it?”

She didn’t know why Whitley would talk about that now, the heavy emotions coming, as she felt the burning need to scrub herself clean rise suddenly.

“Why would you talk to Jaune about it?”

Whitley’s eyes went for the window once more, looking out over the fading light, the night dawning.

“He would do something. He’ll keep the family safe, Weiss.”

She could believe that. He would do whatever he had to, even if it meant killing an old woman and being in the running for a political office.

“He’s strong, but he can’t just go around and kill people, Whitley.”

Her brother looked at her with a sad look, before he hugged her suddenly, his grip tight, her brother quivering a little.

“He’s so _strong_. He would know how to deal with them. He’s so warm when you see him look at you.”

It was a quiet admission from her brother, and she knew that he wasn’t lying. Whitley’s soft exhale was worrisome, as he seemed to need the reassurance, so she would.

“He’ll protect you too, if you need it, just like with Winter. He is someone you can believe in.”

Whitley made a soft sound of comfort, as he held on to her like he wanted to hold on to her forever, the feeling of that hope within him making her feel like he was trying to connect.

“I’m… worried, Weiss. I hope that we can be a family, even with things having gone as they have.”

She tried for a smile, and her brother’s hug turned a little tighter. She felt the air being squeezed out of her lungs and the brief hint of worry inside her chest push to the forefront of her mind about her brother’s mental state, holding him.

“I… Weiss, promise me that you’ll keep this a secret? From… from everyone?”

A whisper of his lips, her younger brother’s eyes looking into hers, and she nodded.

“Come with me to my room.”

She smiled and followed after her little brother. Once they were at his room, she watched him pull the door open and then look around, as if he were checking for something. He stepped in and then bade her to come in. She did as he asked, his eyes glinting for a moment with that hope within them, a soft exhaling from his lips, as he pulled a closet open.

_‘That’s my dress!’_

She’d worn that outfit to Beacon! She had thought she’d just misplaced the third copy during packaging, and had dismissed it. He’d stolen her dress! She noticed the other dress, the one that had been granted to her by her father for more formal appearances, hung next to it, a copy of Winter’s Specialist outfit from two years ago hung next to it.

“Weiss…”

She poked his chest, looking him into the eyes with a fierce expression on her face. He took a step back, his eyes puzzled from the sudden touch.

“That’s my dress! You stole my dress!”

He looked downcast, his eyes looking up at her. She felt bad, as he suddenly started to cry, her younger brother, usually in control, actually starting to cry.

“I wanted to keep something from _you,_ Weiss. You _left_ , and I was all alone with mother. I’ve tried to act out conversations, hoping that they’d happen when you’d return, but you never _stayed_ , to be a good sister!”

There was anger in his voice, sadness, and she realized that she might have been a little too hasty, the words hitting her.

_‘I’ve been pretty horrible… I’ve…’_

“I’m sorry, I- I was a bit too hasty with my judgment.”

Her brother’s expression didn’t change, her brother’s eyes looking into her own with that cool gaze that showed his frustration, his fear and his anger. She had been horrible to judge so quickly, not even letting him speak.

“It’s… fine. You are… Father would never have approved of his son playing _dress_ - _up_ … He would have punished me again.”

She could imagine father’s response to that. The man was dead, and he couldn’t bother them anymore.

“You found him, did… did you see the man who did it?”

Whitley looked at her and his tears started, rolling down his cheeks. She hugged him to her chest like her mother had hugged her when she was young. He was quivering, and her dress was getting wetter, but she didn’t think that was important.

“I… _I killed_ father.”

She felt her blood turn to ice, as her younger brother just admitted it to her. He held on to her, and she actually felt queasy. The man had been a blight on the world, but to hear her brother admit to it.

“What? But- “

She couldn’t finish the sentence, as he looked at her. The poise and grace and elegance was gone, and he was just a young teenager holding his older sister.

“It was for the best of _all_ of us. Mother would be hurt again by father, and I do not want that. I love you all _more_ than I love father. Mother doesn’t _deserve_ to be hit, Weiss. They cannot prosecute me because I am still under-sixteen, and- and he will do right by the family.”

 _‘Wait, who is this ‘he’?_ ’

She had this really awkward feeling in the bottom of her stomach, something that made her feel like it was something that she should know, but Whitley came first.

“Jaune… He’s… He’ll need your support too, Weiss.”

She felt bad for her little brother as she held him. He calmed down after a good ten minutes, and she smiled at him. Killing father was… well, she’d be a liar if she hadn’t thought about doing that a few times.

“Then he’ll get it, Whitley.”

She’d have to make sure that she brought something pleasant for him.

Her brother joined her back at the after-dinner tea, Jaune talking amicably with Yang about something about the election, Oscar and Ruby talking in quiet tones, and Oscar motioned for Whitley to come and join them, which her brother did, reluctantly. Her mother’s eyes met hers, and her mother smiled at that maternal way that made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

* * *

As she retired to bed, she let her hair down, the braid undone swiftly, settling into the bed. A small knock on the door and a creaking, as it opened up. She opened her eyes and turned to the door to see Yang standing there, her hair framed against the faint light of the moon.

“Weiss.”

The soft voice from her friend, from… from someone who had gone back to her girlfriend, didn’t make her feel better. Yang sat down on her bed, as she brushed a hand through her hair.

“Blake thinks I’m in the bathroom. Apparently your whole house smells like you, y’know? Schnee smell.”

The blonde locks moved, and Yang’s eyes firmed up.

“Did you notice that he never referred to General Ironwood as anything but James?”

She had. It’d been odd. It’d been…

Yang’s eyes looked into hers and she took a deep breath.

“And… and the whole thing about Jaune being a traitor. He loved my sister. He… he’d love her enough to kill for her.”

She hadn’t told anyone about her suspicions, about the things that made her darken her days, her eyes closed for an instant, as she thought about the baby.

_‘Oh god, what if the pregnancy is something that can get mother deemed unfit?’_

It was worrisome, and Yang looked at him.

“My dad always said that a good person does what he has to. Jaune’s killed, but- but he had to. Your sister might be- and I’m sorry to say this- lied to by the General. I don’t want you to think that I’m betraying you, but… Go to Jaune. I’ll keep Blake occupied, and… well, try to find Jaune and offer him... Tell him that if Ozma comes and enforces his will, that he’ll have a Xiao Long waiting for him to beat him into the next life. I want to be free, not bound by someone who should've been retired ages ago.”

The look in the blonde’s face was light, as she kissed her fingers before placing them on her own lips. A soft smile lasted on Weiss her face as Yang got up, looking at her.

“I _love_ you, Weiss. Not full-blown lesbian love, but you’re a damn slight better than kitty. If I liked guys a bit more, I’d say you’d get two blondes for your bed, but hey, Jaune’s an alright dude but I don’t like him like that... _Yet_. Dude ruined my toothbrush. I’m allowed to dislike him for that, yep. Still upset, no cum on my damn toothbrush!”

More Arc for her, then. That was a good thing. Yang got up from the bed and walked to the door, her hips having that natural sway to them that made Weiss stare a little longer.

“Good night, Weiss.”

She got up slowly, whispering a soft ‘Goodnight, Yang’, the blonde’s eyes amused as she turned around to look at her.

“Don’t go and make a mess of his room, Weiss. Mister Sieben will appreciate the room remaining _dry,_ I reckon.”

She may or may not have had such thoughts. She was a teenage girl with emotions and feelings and the knowledge that some predator was lurking in their midst.

“Better keep us safe, Yang.”

She emerged from her bedroom, dressed in only a nightgown, the bra left off. Anyone in the house was just a servant, and wouldn’t be bothered too much. With Klein taking care of things, there was little fear of things being dangerous. The man was very aware of things around the house.

She passed by the room that Ruby resided in, the soft groaning from the room drawing her attention. She lightly pulled the door handle down, opening the door and letting her eyes go towards the bed, the nightlight on, casting a shadow over the two people there. A soft squeaky sound, a little groan from the young man in bed with her, and Weiss closed the door again quietly. It was one of the benefits of having the doors perfectly maintained, her ear laid against the wood, to carry the sound.

“Ah, Ruby, hmm, it feels so good.”

The voice of Oscar came from behind the door, the squeaky sounds that her partner was making definitely of delight. It was a little pang in her heart, as she pressed her ear against the door a little firmer.

“I’m feeling so good, ah, yes, Oscar, hmmm, _harder.”_

_‘No…’_

She felt the chill grip her heart, as the two continued. The soft whimpers were alternated with deeper manly groans from the teenage boy as he had sex with Ruby. A squeak of ‘I’m coming!’ and Ruby’s voice reached the high octaves.

“I’m going to come, Ruby, ah…”

The sound was not pleasant, she thought. The high screech of her partner’s voice was loud, as Ruby seemed to enjoy herself.

“It feels so good, Oscar. Sex is great.”

She walked away, towards her father’s bedroom. If anyone was to be put in there, it’d be Jaune.

She could feel her steps coming a little lighter on the floor, as she could hear the faint sound of groans from the room, moans that were lighter. She pushed open the door a little, peering into the darkened room, the large window casting a long beam of light into the room, the two people on the bed definitely busy with a similar exercise.

Her mother was on top, as she offered her body to the man on the bed, the shorter blonde hair visible in the light that fell in through the window.

Her mother was having sex with Jaune Arc.

A feeling of jealousy welled up, but Weiss Schnee had not backed away from a challenge whenever she spotted one.

She pushed the door open and then entered the room, the sound of her mother's body moving, the groans and moans from the woman bringing a thrill to her heart, knowing that it was a genuine expression of desire from her mother.

_‘It seems it’ll be time to cross off the incest fantasy from the bucket list… Not that I ever expected it to be ON the bucket list, but... When in Vacuo...’_

“Hello there, mommy… Would you two mind if I joined in? It looks like there's a spot for a needy little Schnee in the bed with the two of you.”

_‘It’s not like mom can get even more pregnant, after all.’_

Her nightshirt was on the bedroom floor a moment later, next to her mother’s elegant white lingerie. Her mother’s gaze regarded her for a moment, before she smiled down at the blonde young man, who had frozen up, the blue eyes looking at her as an interested glint entered them, the small huff from her mother expected, as she made a slow roll of her hips.

“It seems _daddy_ here will have to treat his stepdaughter to something special as well. Are you going to make these two Schnee women into your personal pleasure slaves, Mister Arc? My daughter did mention something about a quickie… Oh… _something_ agrees inside me. Weiss? Join me in taking care of him.”

_‘Okay… this is hot.’_

Weiss Schnee was not going to dismiss this. Her first time had been _fun_ , but this... This was straight out of Sixty Shades of White. 

* * *

Nora adjusted the little badge a bit on the shirt that’d been cut entirely too tight for her regular style, exposing way too much cleavage for her liking, but the look had to be perfect, as they followed after the Happy Huntress through the mess of lower-Mantle foundries, the woman knocking twice on the door.

“Open up, I’ve got cake.”

The words were something that came with a soft hiss from the woman, the long ponytail that the woman wore enough, as Nora shifted her big sledgehammer on her shoulders a little, twisting the handle a little to let the head spin. It wasn’t Magnhild, it did not have a ranged option available, but it worked well for her.

_‘Jaune’s dad said that the thing with his Semblance only works on people who have less Aura than he does.’_

It was something that the man hadn’t quite explained in-depth, but it worked a little like Jaune’s Semblance, so she guessed that it was like something that lingered in the body. She wasn’t going to let that distract her though. Cinder Fall was close by, she just knew it.

The door opened and the slight sheep Faunus appeared, smiling.

“Friends, you said? Robyn would love to meet them! Hi! I’m Fiona Thyme.”

_‘Your boss is going to be hunting down our boss…’_

May smiled, wrapping an arm around Ren. Nora felt the spike of jealousy die down when she remembered that this was not a woman.

“This is Rin, a friend of mine from Haven. Met her back at the Vytal Festival, Fi. Her girlfriend isn’t like me, but she loves her girlfriend a lot.”

Fiona smiled brightly, and they were let in. There was a smell of mechanical oils, Dust and more, as they heard something.

“- go out and _kill_ someone, Romanov! You’re so lucky that you got away with it. We do _not_ attack civilians! That was a mother and daughter you killed! If I didn’t send someone to tail you, you might’ve been caught with blood all over you!”

Nora felt a hint of unease, as she came to the sight of Robyn Hill standing opposite Cinder Fall, the woman’s face covered on one side with an eye patch, as she’d appeared once more. The scar in her side ached a little, the sacrifice more than worth it. She was the lightning girl, so she could take it.

“He hid the power from me! It’s logical that I would go and investigate, Hill. Just do as I say and Mantle will not suffer a Grimm invasion. If they didn’t know… well, perhaps it’d be time to place a visit to the man himself.”

The woman sauntered deeper into the hideout, Robyn shaking her head, before she looked at Fiona, who seemed to look guilty.

“It’s all for the cause… It’s all for the cause, and she’ll keep Mantle safe from the Grimm, just what we need.”

Nora kept quiet, as Ren’s eyes glinted, the weapons that he wielded held behind his back, the chest pushed forwards.

“I’ve brought some new recruits, Robyn. Remember my Vytal festival?”

The woman’s tired expression spoke volumes, as May gave her warmest smile, the dullness in her eyes faint, but easily masked with tiredness.

“Ah… Welcome. May has an eye for talent, I’m glad you’ve chosen the side who fights for Mantle, rather than a foreigner who thinks he can buy the people…”

Ren spoke up.

“We are here to make Mantle a better place, Miss Hill. I am Rin Juniper and this is my girlfriend, Thora Juniper, we’ve… We’ve always wanted to make this place better, especially since we were stranded here when the borders were closed.”

It was going to be a better place with Cinder Fall out of the way.

_‘Wait, wasn’t Romanov like some name from professor Oobleck’s lessons?’_

She was sure that she’d heard it be mentioned before sometime during classes…

* * *

**I’m sorry for being long-winded. With my style of writing, I’ve got a tendency to focus entirely too much on making sure that all the clues are in the finished product. I usually trim about 8 pages or so from the final document, so eh... It's wordy, but it tends to have a meaning to every discussion. I'll try to be a bit more concise, but people shouldn't complain if Cinder suddenly grows bug wings and calls herself Zorblox the Immaculate. (That was an example.)**

**As for why the German came up: I know better German than I know Russian. So, you get to see German pop up. It's more of a cultural thing. Russian/German/Nordic would fit for Atlas' theme of frost and industrialism.**

**Enjoy the chapter and leave a comment if you'd like to!**


	20. A late-night party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut with a milf and a totally innocent young maiden (Her Weissliness) and... well, grim news. The Cinder Strike Force assembles!
> 
> A warning: Gruesome stuff in this chapter. You have been warned.

**Smut! Weiss and Willow with a Jaune!**

* * *

Willow walked in front of him, the smile on her lips, her body moving with the grace of a woman who knew what she was after, fine derriere shifting somewhat with every step, a noticeable quiver on that fine ass as she strode, that elegant motion of her body quiet, as she had told him that she would show him to the bedroom that had been prepared for him. She looked back, her fingers brushing over her side, the dress that she wore something fashionable, if his experiences with dresses were any indication.

“Jaune…”

The woman’s hand laid on the door handle of a door he hadn’t been to, a look at him for an instant, a little wink from her as she pushed open the door.

“This will be the room where you will sleep tonight.”

He smiled at her, aware that she just meant well. The perfume that she wore was light, womanly and with that hint of maturity, the blue eyes peering at him as he moved past her, into the room. A bed that was massive dominated one side of the room, paintings of the woman’s former husband on the wall, including one where the man stood with Whitley.

“This is… your late husband’s room?”

He asked, hearing the click of the door shutting, and he turned around, the woman’s fingers brushing over his chest plate. She started to work on getting him out of the armour, the feeling of her fingers easily working the straps and the belts that kept him wearing the armour, the top peeled off in a flash.

“It is the room of the man who is worthy of a Schnee.”

She was just helping him out, of course.

She was just here to make sure that he could go to bed, because some of the straps on the armour, he couldn’t quite reach. It wasn’t anything like before, even if he was someone who had been a murderer.

“Now… Let me take the bottom off.”

The woman knelt, a brief flash of something similar flashing through his mind as she worked to help him out, Casey doing something similar most nights when he returned, the armour pulled off and his legs given some freedom to move, as he stepped out, wearing only a shirt and some underwear. He carried the armour to the wall and set it against it, the weapon that’d been with him since he had started being a Huntsman, the legacy of his great-grandfather with Pyrrha’s weapons worked into the shield and sword, laid against the wall at the bed, so that it would be within reach. He didn’t hear the door open, but he heard a soft shuffle, as he turned to her. Blue eyes and pale skin, her hair undone as it was, the dress on the ground.

“Gratitude, for the man who freed my family.”

He should remember that he had done too much to be ever forgiven. Her hands worked on the bra and her breasts moved a little as she freed them, the stirring in his loins started, as she moved with a slow and deliberate motion, the underwear that she wore the only garment that clad her body, the high heels discarded, as her tongue slid over her lips.

“I’m a murderer, Willow. I’ve-“

Her fingers pressed against his chest in a look, as she gently pushed him down onto the bed with a feather-light touch, his body moving with her, as she smelled so good. Pale breasts moved somewhat, as those eyes looked at him, and he found himself pushed with force down onto the bed.

“Do you think I don’t _know_ that, Jaune? Do you think that as a mother, I would not listen to my children? You’ve done something, Jaune, that was arguably a miracle. You gave me my children and my freedom. Now… let me reward my hero. The man who my daughters might call a husband…”

Her lips pressed against his, a low ‘uhmmmhmmm’ sound from her lips as she kissed him, her hands grabbing a hold of his shoulders as she pulled herself on top of him. His body reacted, as her tongue dove into his mouth past his lips, invading with a passion, as she pulled herself against him, her breasts soft and her nipples hard.

“Willow, I’m-“

He knew that he wasn’t good. He was someone whose hands had been stained red, all for the power that had been within an old woman’s body not to go to her daughter’s. Arousal, heat and lust, his hands grabbing her hips as she pushed herself up on her elbows.

Fingertip laid on his lips, she shook her head lightly at him.

“I say you are _worthy_ , Jaune. Worthy of a Schnee. _Me. Weiss. Winter._ Whitley is too young, and I do not think that he would do anything.”

He grimaced. He was not going to do anything to Whitley, a soft laughter coming from Willow’s lips at the face that he made.

“I wasn’t thinking that you’d do something like that, Jaune. You’re a protector. You’re someone who will bleed for the people you love, which is more than my previous husband would do.”

Willow pulled herself up, leaving him to wonder what she was going to do, the matured body of the woman who had given birth to Winter, Weiss and Whitley standing at the side of the bed, the pressing problem of his erection, for he was not a man who could contain such lustful urges with a woman offering herself, standing at attention.

“Mister Arc…”

The underwear slid down and she looked at him with a smile, her eyes glinting, as the last article of clothing was pulled off.

“I am asking whether you would like to sleep with me as a husband would to his wife. Or, as the youth says it… Whether you’d like to get a hot milf in your bed tonight.”

His manhood gave a little twitch of agreement, a snort of amusement from her as she saw it move.

“That’s a yes, I assume. You _naughty_ boy. Conquering a mother, an eldest daughter _and_ the youngest with that _big_ and _hard_ thing.”

She looked at him with a playful gaze, the youthful features of Winter overlapping hers for a moment in his view as he could imagine her being the template for what Winter would become in twenty years, before Willow sighed softly, a slow exhale that made her chest move. He wasn’t worthy, he didn’t deserve to be rewarded for the death of her husband.

“ _No_ , Jaune Arc! You will not look at me as if you are the guilty one. I made the choice to give you one of the best nights of your week tonight, and you will not be blaming yourself for bringing us happiness. My daughters love you. My son thinks you are worthy to be included in the family and I am not going to see a man waste himself with guilt.”

He was aware of her plea as she pushed herself against him, pinning him in place. A soft hiss from her lips, the burden on his chest increasing, as she pushed her lips against his own in a searingly passionate kiss. A groan, burning with something in the depths of her mouth, as her lips parted and her tongue invaded his mouth.

He was on the bed and she was pushing him into her depths, the low groan that she gave enough, as all of that hot hard shaft disappeared into the woman’s sex, the burden of that pleasure slowly pushing into the depths without reservation, the hurdle of sleeping with Weiss and Winter not there, as the space inside her felt a little roomier than before.

She was the woman who had taken his first time, who had been the one who had blessed him with the experience of her body, as her eyes looked at him with a pleading look.

“Be a good father to my children, Jaune.”

A plea that he found odd, as she started to move. Hot and tight she was at places, whilst a little roomier at others, the squelching, slurping sound of her sex in the air, as she was hot and wet, the low groaning from his mouth met with her own moans, lighter and more passionate. A low groan at the warmth, as she kissed him again, her eyes tearing up with the droplets of salty liquid dripping down her cheeks.

“I want you to love them. I want you to make them feel like they are the most blessed daughters in the world with such a strong man there to guard them.”

A mother’s plea, as she used her body to convince him of the need for a Schnee to be guarded, an effort that he’d already done. He had done many things that he would have balked at before Beacon, raised to be someone who always held the family above everything, to know of the honour that the Family had held once upon a time.

“I won’t let them fall, Willow. They are beautiful. I’m a murderer, I’ve-“

Her eyes looked down into his own, the tears coming ever more from the emotional woman, her hands laid around his neck.

“So _what_? Do you think that _I_ don’t mourn the death of my father? That I don’t think about the people I’ve had to let go who froze to death? We all bear crimes on our soul, Jaune. In the time when the company was still small, when Jacques had not really built it into what it is now, we had to let go of miners who couldn’t be afforded anymore, and their family came to inform us of their death due to the cold… Do you think that I didn’t blame myself, that Willow Schnee does not care for the lives of others?”

Her motions became more powerful, as she looked down at him, a woman who was sharing her body with his, a carnal dance between the two, but that willpower that had once laid slumbering between a haze of alcohol laid bare now, as she looked down at him.

Eyes that had seen much of the world, who had been at the higher echelons of importance in Atlas and Mantle, looked down at him, and for a moment, his grandmother’s portrait came to mind, of the same cold eyes looking down at him, her pale hair framing her face. There was nothing that would be stopped when it came to his grandmother, no justice that would be delivered.

“I care more for the lives of my family and for the children that will be born in this world, than allegiances to a Kingdom or a creed. My family comes _first_ , Jaune Arc. A murderer you may be, someone who prevented my daughter from becoming a magical girl, but you murdered with just cause. People who think they are justified in claiming that you have done an evil deed are hypocrites!”

She pushed herself down, impaling herself on his shaft, her eyes blazing with that spirit that would not die, which had been honed through tragedy and despair.

“As the great general said, Mantle does not crack. Mantle does not bow. A _Schnee_ does not bow, especially not to a man who will use them for whatever goal he wishes. This is my family, and my father has worked hard to make it be the best in Atlas.”

Her eyes blazed with anger, as her finger tapped against his chest. She was not a strong woman, but right now, he felt pinned to the bed by her, as her eyes looked at him with that dangerous look that mom always got when dad made an off-colour joke.

“And if I say that you are worthy to sleep with me, my daughters and to be the man of this household, then I know what a man I am bringing into the house. A man who will stand tall, who will never bow his head towards anyone and who has the guts to do something, rather than hoping that it will go away.”

She clenched around his manhood, and he felt her fingers scratch at his side, as she moaned softly, the womanly sound quivering in her throat.

“My… My middle name is Amadeus. That’s what my great-grandmother, Guinevere Von Arcadia, named me.”

He didn’t know why he said that, but her eyes looked surprised, before she laughed at him, a light laugh.

“Oh, so the great general managed to evade the tribunal, after old Romanov was executed? My… And now her great-grandson is running for office. What would she say about that?”

Not _much_ , likely. His mother and his grandmother and her mother had been usually of like mind. It would have been seen as ‘passable’. He might’ve even been aiming too low.

“Probably ‘You should have run for the position of Chancellor.’, she is known for her audacious feats.”

The woman lifted herself off, a low moan from her lips, as he could feel his own groans mix with hers. The feeling wasn’t much different from Winter and Weiss, except that Weiss was tighter than a vise.

“Gnnn, ah… Yes.”

The door creaked a little as he moaned, and he could hear someone move, his senses sharpening, as he got himself in a better position, Willow’s motions continuing unabated.

“Hello there, mommy… Would you two mind if I joined in? It looks like there's a spot for a needy little Schnee in the bed with the two of you.”

The words from Weiss weren’t something that he could ignore, as Willow’s head turned. He had frozen up instead, his eyes watching Weiss as she slipped her nightshirt off, her hair loose, long and like a beautiful nymph that stood there.

“It seems _daddy_ here will have to treat his stepdaughter to something special as well. Are you going to make these two Schnee women into your personal pleasure slaves, Mister Arc? My daughter did mention something about a quickie… Oh… _something_ agrees inside me. Weiss? Join me in taking care of him.”

He was a man, and his flesh was weak. He had hardened inside her, as the thought of Weiss doing her kinky little things again came to his mind, the woman pulling herself off his cock, the wetness of his shaft standing there, as the mother got comfortable on the bed, her daughter looking at him.

“So… _daddy_ … Listen to your little stepdaughter when she requests something, okay? It’ll feel really good… What do you want your stepdaddy to do, Weiss? I know you’ve snuck out several volumes of Sixty Shades of White…”

His friend, the sister of the woman he’d dated for a short while and her mother, looked at him. Weiss was flushed red, her skin glowing in the moonlight as it did, a soft whisper from her lips.

“We-well… I had thoughts of being a little princess, held captive by an evil father, defeated by a wicked villain and then forced to pleasure the evil man’s big hard shaft with her mother the queen…”

Weiss had been kinky. His manhood bobbed a little, as Willow’s soft laughter came from her lips. He winced a little. That was a fairytale that he’d ‘heard’ of before, Star having laughed about it and what it was.

_‘So it was from Sixty Shades of White…’_

“Hmm… Are you okay with that, Jaune? A little heroic gratification for a man who defeated the evil king and takes his liberties with the princess and the queen mother?”

Willow’s voice steered, as her eyes glinted with that amusement, Weiss her tongue sliding over the side of his manhood, her blue eyes looking at him.

“Please, Jaune?”

This was awkward, so he sighed.

“Fine, I’m…”

The smile on Weiss her face was something that made him look away, the knowledge of how the young woman had cravings that were a little bit too much. Her first time, a second time, third time and all the other times that they’d done it that night came back up.

“Good, good. We won’t have to do the housewife and the huntsman, since we’ve got mother here.”

_‘Wasn’t that the one that Casey did?’_

It had been intimacy, craving and more. He did not judge her, but she was someone who said that she would tame his wilder urges. Weiss slid her tongue down to the base, as her mother’s fingers lightly brushed through her daughter’s hair.

“I’ve done that one already.”

Mother and daughter shared a look, and there was a question in the older woman’s gaze as she mouthed something at her daughter.

“With who? Winter?”

Weiss asked and an embarrassed cough came from her mother’s lips.

“She doesn’t read my books. She left before I bought the series. You’re the one who snuck out six volumes.”

Weiss turned red in the face, as her hand grabbed his balls.

“Ladies…”

The two Schnee women, mother and daughter looked at him with a look that demanded an explanation. At least with his own mother, his father had managed to survive when she’d found some of Star’s lingerie in the washing machine and had accused his father of cheating on her.

“I live with someone who’s a friend. She said that it is a… eh, decent series, f-“

Weiss was the first to speak, as his balls were grabbed in a vice-like grip. Weiss looked at him with those eyes that held that uppity Schnee attitude, as her fingers squeezed down on his tender testicles.

“We’re _better_. Mother, it seems we’ve been _upstaged_. Punishment for our man, for even daring to share the bed with someone who isn’t a member of the family.”

He groaned at the feeling of Weiss squeezing his balls, Willow’s eyes holding a dash of amusement as she regarded him, her body moving a little as she shifted.

“Willow, I’m- ahhh?”

The older woman’s hand was on his manhood. A firm squeeze was delivered, as she looked at him, her lips holding a smile that boded ill.

“My… not even my husband would’ve been so bold as to mention another woman whilst we were intimate…Mister Arc… it seems there must be some _punishment_ for the young man who has been with my daughters and decided that we were no longer good enough for him… I do hope that you’ll take responsibility for this slight against our family…”

The Glyphs appeared around his wrists and force bound them to the bed, as the woman rose, her smile almost devious, as her fingers brushed over her stomach for a moment.

“Sit on his face, Weiss. Mother will show you how you take a man and let him enjoy your body.”

He saw Weiss move, before he saw a pert butt come closer and she sat down, as he felt Willow’s hands grip his shaft. Weiss Schnee had rested her butt on his face, and her sex laid against his lips.

“See how he’s erect? That’s how you want to make a man before you push it in. Your father’s… well, let’s just say that it was more _motion_ on my part than on his. Jaune… Do ensure that my daughter is properly pleased, will you? As the man who has earned himself the graces of Willow Schnee, I will demand nothing but excellence.”

His tongue pushed against her slit, as he felt how Willow’s hands stroked over his shaft, the hardness of his cock increasing due to the pleasure that she gave him. A soft panting whine came from Weiss her lips as she ground her face against him.

“Ah, Jaune… Hmmm.”

The voice was high-pitched at the pleasure that he delivered, her pussy feeling the push of his tongue into its depths. She was warm, as her pert butt rested against his face, her thighs half-spread as her weight rested on him.

“That’s it… Now, my dear… see, it’s-“

Her warm pussy lips wrapped around the head and he could only feel her slide down, tongue still moving inside Weiss’ sex, the older woman giving a deep feminine moan.

“It’s sliding in. Whichever of the two of you will lay your hand on this man is going to have to share it with me… Hmm…”

Weiss didn’t respond, but her butt pushed down against his face, her pussy leaking syrupy juices over his face, as the petite Huntress started to shift a little on his face.

“Hmm… We’ve got to convince Winter to come home… I’m… Ah, mother, he’s licking, he’s… hmm…”

Weiss gasped loudly, as his tongue pressed against the little hood of skin, the button-like sensitive nub making Weiss writhe.

“Oh, we _should._ He’s a man I approve of, and regardless of what General Ironwood thinks… We deserve to have a little family gathering after the funeral of my husband, I suppose…”

Willow was moving, her hips thrusting down, the smacking of her buttocks against his flesh bringing nothing but a tune to the lewd mating that they were doing, the copulation of two women, related to each other as mother and daughter and him as the lucky man in-between.

It was repayment for the murder of the woman’s husband, he supposed, the freeing of the daughters of the house from the evil man’s spell, a hopeful little spot inside him rising, the thought of a little family.

Casey said that she’d comfort him if he needed it. Her daughter called him her daddy, even if it’s just a wishful thought. He’d do what he could for Mantle, and he’d make sure to take down Cinder as well…

A world where he could be happy with Winter or Weiss wasn’t one where Cinder Fall still drew breath. The curse of that woman to take everything he loved away was one that he had to bear, and he would see it through to the end. When he would meet that woman, he would be ready, and there would be nothing stopping him from seeing her down to hell where she belonged.

“Now, now… Don’t go limp, Mister Arc… A woman doesn’t like that.”

A squeak came from Weiss as he felt a set of fingers grab his balls and squeeze, his cock hardening immediately as he realized that he was thinking about Cinder again, whilst two women were giving him pleasure. The Glyphs bound his hands, though they weren’t very forceful about it, Weiss shifting a little, her groin pulled off him and her eyes looking at him with a questioning look.

“Are you… okay?”

He wanted to say that he was, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Willow’s face was visible, past the breasts, the woman looking at him, reaching for his face.

“Stop thinking. Just enjoy. You’re safe, you’re here with us, and you’re the man who’s making love with two women that are showing their appreciation for the man who made their life better. My daughter loves you. _I_ will love you. Nothing is without hope, because Mantle does not crack.”

The soft hiss from Weiss was loud in the air, as her butt sat down on the pillow, her mother’s pussy clenching around his shaft.

“I don’t like to see you suffer, Jaune. You’ve been through so much, and you don’t deserve it.”

Weiss spoke quietly, as her mother’s pussy clenched around him, the soft groan coming from his lips at the tightness.

She wasn’t correct on that. He deserved it. He deserved it, and more. He could feel the woman on top of his manhood twist a little, her legs pressing against his own. She seemed to pick up the pace.

“Please… relax, let us make you feel better. We want you to smile again, Jaune. The world feels so cold, especially with what’s happening.”

He didn’t know what was happening. The world had frozen over since the death of Nora and Ren, and Pyrrha would be avenged. She would be avenged, and Winter, Weiss and Willow and Whitley would be able to live in peace.

“I did it all so she would pay, Weiss.”

She sat down, her thighs wrapping around his head. Her mother’s face was worried as well, as she slowly moved, her fingers brushing over his chest like they wished to groom it into something that’d be perfect to lay on.

“I know, Jaune. I know, and you’re a good man. Cinder will get what’s coming to her. We’re here, we can help…”

The pain inside him flared up, as he remembered Ren and Nora and Pyrrha, during those first few days of being a team. They had wanted to help, they had wished that he’d talk to them, that the bravado he had would shatter. He knew the pain inside his chest would never fade, not even with the freezing blizzard inside him that was fueled by his hate.

“No man stands alone, Jaune. There are people who care for you.”

Willow’s voice added, as she continued to move. Her motions were pleasurable, and Weiss stroked his cheeks.

“We care for y- eh, I do. Mother?”

A soft smile on Willow’s face, as she stopped, his manhood inside her.

“I was serious when I said that I wanted him in the family, Weiss. It might be bad taste to marry so soon after the death of my husband, but…”

A smug little smile, much like Winter and Weiss had at times, something that would scare the hell out of him when he’d see it on his youngest sister’s face, Rosa’s attitude much like a bandit at times, as she pressed a finger to his throat.

“We get what we _want_ , Mister Arc. A Schnee gets what she wants, no matter how she wants it. We are a family and we are not making the mistake of casting out a great hero. Guinevere Von Arcadia is reviled for her actions of igniting the Great War, but she had a vision, one purpose.”

The woman’s eyes were cooler, as they looked down at him with that drive, and he felt how the seriousness of the situation increased by the way that she was seated. A soft whisper of something from Weiss, as she held his head. Willow spoke up again, the melancholic eyes looking at him.

“Mantle does not break, and if General Ironwood thinks that he can be a great general to unite the world under Atlas, he will not find Schnee bowing before him. My daughters are not mere pawns, my son is not some slave to his military endeavour. Atlas neglects Mantle, yet I remember taking my daughters down there to show them the world of the common people.”

Willow’s body started to move again, her body shifting with the experience of age, of someone who had been at this before, the woman’s speech not something that would be mistaken for anything but words that hearkened back to the age of when Atlas had risen, undoubtedly during her father’s youth.

“Things were better before, and there will be no James Ironwood becoming our king in this century through falsehoods and lies and conspiracy. We do not bow before an unworthy ruler, Jaune. It has been eighty-two years since the Vytal Treaty was signed and our king and his family were executed by the people, yet Mantle does not crack. Mantle does not _break_ , and you should know that. You are nineteen, yet you are now a contender for the highest office. I will not marry a man whose will is weak and who feels defeat at the thought of slaying someone for the just cause.”

He could hear Weiss gasp, her voice soft, as her mother moved, the words a challenge to him, a challenge to his masculinity and his nature. He could see the woman’s eyes looking down at him, his Aura wrapping around the woman as well, the shudder in her body coming, as she hissed at him.

_“Are you merely a simple child, or are you my grandchild? Get back to the board and show me why you lost. Show me why you made those errors, and I will teach you. My grandchild does not deserve to wallow in ignorance, he deserves to forge himself into a better man. Get up!”_

The words were similar to his great-grandmother’s words, as he’d cried when he was four, her cold fingers grabbing a hold of his hand and dragging him back to the table and setting him down. Father had been seated in the background, mother had been watching, her fingers busy with working on the dress that she had to wear later on, the needlework something to quieten her mind. She’d have to pose as a migrant housewife who was waiting for her husband for a mission.

“Are you a weakling, Jaune? A man who cries at the loss of his friends, one who wishes to surrender? Are you going to crack?”

It was not motivational speaking at its finest, but it was a challenge. He had Casey to care for, he had Willow to listen to and he knew that Winter would be trying her best to get into his good graces again, knowing that it was something that could be called a family. Willow’s motives were undoubtedly the protection of her family, if he thought about it.

Weiss was a girl who had wrenched herself loose from that family under her father, Whitley had hidden himself into a façade of being someone who obeyed their father. He was just a small person, standing before the biggest decision of his life.

“You _won’t_. You’re strong. Father was much the same, when I saw him in his office, crying about the losses during a mining accident. A man who could cry for the loss of life, one who had seen his friends die and who still stood for the common good of the civilians of Mantle. Are you going to crack, Jaune? Are you going to show weakness to the people who need a real man to rise to the top of Atlas and to bring the kingdom together? Are you a Guinevere von Arcadia, a woman who stood in front of the palace and who spoke words of fury and retribution, who could command the grand strategy that brought Mistral into our fold?”

His hands pulled free from the Glyphs, the woman’s attention obviously no longer on it, as she spoke those words of hope, those words of care, the words that showed patriotism and fervor. Willow Schnee could have made a wonderful Councilmember if she had the inclination, her love for her family and the Kingdom that had been there in those words making him remember something that he’d said before.

 _“No! I will not let you hurt the people I care for! No! Bring your armies, bring your people and I will stand against you, no matter who you are! Cinder Fall is mine to kill, and I will not let anyone stand in my way, Maiden, Witch or General!”_

The words he’d spoken when Nora and Ren had still been with him, the pain flaring up inside him, as he grabbed Willow’s hips and moved her. The woman’s eyes widened as she trembled, his fingers pressing into the soft milky-white skin, still tight and firm despite her age, his eyes looking into hers as he rose up. The woman’s body actually shifted a little, the woman’s lips unleashing a soft ‘ughn’.

“I am a man who will take what I will, who will kill who needs killing. I am the man who has slept with your daughters, I am the man who has killed to protect your eldest and your youngest from the dangers of men who dared to think that they knew better. Armies? Heroes? My great-grandmother has said to me that there will be no innocence when the knives are drawn and the enemy marches. I’ll make sure that nobody dies under my protection, as a man should”

He thrust up, Willow’s body jostled somewhat, his eyes boring into hers as he spoke. She leaned down and captured his lips with a kiss that held more passion, as he looked at her. He would… He would do what he could. He would hold on for a little while longer, just like Grandmother had said. They deserved protection from the world, and he would do that.

_“It hurt so badly, Jaune. It hurt me so much to see my beloved man lying there, gutted simply for being my husband. They may call him good, but Ozymandias, King of Vale, was not a man who spared my husband. A traitor, they called him. My husband, a traitor! It’s always the same, Jaune. There is but one final truth in this world: The Gods do not care for this world!”_

He would join Nora and Ren and Pyrrha in the afterlife, and… and maybe, if he survived…

He thought of Casey and her daughter. They were… they were important too. He’d had a little family, a little hope. He would need to go and bring the children to school. He’d…

“Jaune?”

He had blanked out for a moment, and the positions had changed. Weiss was on her back, legs wrapped around his waist, Willow’s fingers brushing over his side. He checked the clock to see that it was nearly three in the morning, and he’d been slow to rouse from his stupor.

“It’s okay… Just- give her a little rest, okay?”

Weiss looked a mess. Her eyes looked like they were losing focus, as he pulled himself out of her. Weiss curled up on the bed, mumbling something about needing more cardio.

“My, if I knew that you would turn into a beast, I would’ve brought my eldest daughter as well. Jaune… It is not the time to ask, but can you do me a favour?”

His member was flaccid, the feeling of the two women earlier returning to his senses. The cold fury within his heart was warmed with love, as his eyes watched hers. He remembered the moment when he’d first came inside the older woman, apparently nearly two hours before. Weiss had switched then, and the woman had decided to play with her daughter’s body, speaking horridly lewd and crude things that had only incited Weiss to fuck harder.

It was a combination of maturity and the ability to know where to strike and youthful enthusiasm. It wasn’t bad, but the thought of being sidelined by another woman had stoked a flame inside Willow, even if her words had bordered on nationalism. Not a bad thing, he supposed.

“If you got one of my daughters pregnant, would you do the honourable thing?”

That was natural, of course. He would marry whoever he’d slept with and gotten with a child. His mother would hang him from the ceiling and beat him black and blue if he didn’t even suggest it first.

“Of course. Weiss…”

The youngest Schnee daughter was currently hugging the pillow, the older woman’s arms wrapping around him, as she kissed his cheek.

“A good man. I know that you’d be better than anyone from Atlas, Jaune. A man needs but two things, after all.”

_“A man needs two things: To love one’s family and to be strong enough to face down every challenger that wishes to hurt that family.”_

He let his emotions show on his face, as he looked down at her, half-raised, back against the pillow, his blue eyes peering into hers.

“A villain who can only do what he must. I am a monster, Willow. I have betrayed the guardians of this world to keep the people I love safe, all in order to slay a woman who has taken from me what I loved.”

He felt like a villain. He had murdered. He’d plotted. He’d stolen the power of the Winter Maiden from under the watchful eyes of a man who had designs on the woman that he had loved. He glanced at the clock, noticing the time. About two hours until he had to wake up.

He could at least do something for Casey. She and her daughter didn’t deserve to suffer.

“Could you… Could you do me a favour? A woman I am…”

He remembered the night in bed, that playful attitude, and the second, when she had told him to sleep with him to move the pain out into pleasure. He looked at the woman on top of him, her expression caring, the eyes half-closed in the fading moonlight that fell through the window.

“The woman I live with in Mantle, could you hire her as a member of staff? I’m pretty sure that Mister Sieben wouldn’t mind having an assistant during his duties.”

She’d be safe. Willow Schnee was someone who protected those that she cared for, a mother who would be standing in front of her family if she had no one else to protect it.

“She’s in danger because of you, isn’t she?”

They all were. Her daughter was an adorable girl, even… even with her calling him daddy.

“Her daughter calls me daddy. I want… I want a family, just like that. A happy wife, someone who will call me daddy, father or even an old man.”

_“And family is all that I have ever wanted. I grew up in loneliness, so when I met my husband, whenever he came home and he pushed open that door and greeted me, I was so happy that my world lit up. Death parted us then, Jaune. It hurt, like my world froze.”_

She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek.

“We’ll be waiting for you, ‘ _daddy’_. My daughters could do worse than someone like you.”

A bitter laugh from his lips as he looked at the older woman who had been willing to take his virginity, her eyes glinting with that devious intelligence that had made her one of the leading figures in international Dust trade before her marriage, according to what he’d heard from the average people of Mantle.

“The child of the family of the Ice Witch of Mantle. My mother might approve of you, you know. You remind me of grandmother.”

The woman’s cool laughter was smug and in control. The look on her matured face was something that didn’t make him feel unwanted.

“A compliment I will take. For my daughters and my son, there is _no_ sacrifice too great. My family has the eyes of many directed to it, and there will be many predators who wish to dare to eat from my company’s wealth…”

He knew that. A soft whisper to Nora’s ears, a whisper that told her that it had been done on his order, all to make sure that there would be a reason for Nora to go to RWBY’s room. Ren and Nora had their underlying issues, but they had worked through them…

“I have to get up in two hours, Willow. I promised to bring the children of Mantle to school.”

A soft smile, as she pulled the covers over the three of them again, the chill banished with a moment of coolness. A mother’s kiss to his head, as he felt safe for a moment, the ghosts of the past banished for an instant as mother and daughter slept in the same bed with him, a moment where the dreams were not haunted with the whispers of the past.

_‘I’ll make sure that nobody else dies…’_

* * *

She woke up slowly, aware of the burning pain in her groin. She looked around, aware that the bed was empty at her side, the clinking of something being pulled together louder in the air, her eyes watching her mother help put the armour back onto Jaune’s body, and he'd definitely showered. He smelled like father's shampoo. She felt fucked, remembering the faint whispers and-.

_"Yes daddy, fill me up, fill your naughty little Weiss up!"_

She _had_ been _fucked._

She had been a sex-craving beast, guided with her mother’s whispers, her mother just as able to rouse the fires within her. She’d been with him, but the pain in his eyes, the fear that he wasn’t enough for the world…

_‘You are such a man who would blame himself…’_

A lost man, someone who her sister had loved. Someone who her mother seemed to be fond of, if the sharing of her body with the young man had been-

_‘She can’t…’_

She watched her mother spritz some cologne on him after she’d pulled the breastplate on, the smile on her face warm and matronly, as if… as if she were a housewife sending her Huntsman husband away for the day, to be a hero.

_‘No, that’s too fantastical. It’s Ruby’s uncle, it can’t be…’_

Jaune had smelled like father had, after he’d gotten back from the toilet. He’d…

No, her mother _couldn’t_ have. That’d be too fantastical to believe Jaune Arc being able to do something like that. Him, pulling in the attentions of a high-status woman like her mother…

“I’ll have to get something to eat. I’m due there at seven, so I’ll be able to get me something to munch on during the trip back to the transport terminal to go down to Mantle at the terminal or something.”

She got up, wincing at the pain in her groin. She’d been fucked, and it’d been rough. It wasn’t like with Yang or Ruby, she’d been having a hard shaft drilling her and it’d felt _good_.

“Jaune? I need to tell you something?”

Her mother looked at her and she seemed to be about to say something, as Weiss shifted a little to the left, his blue eyes looking at her. She was naked. She was sticky. She was smelly, but she had to say it.

“Oscar and Ruby are having sex, and- and I think he’s no longer-“

His eyes darkened, and his teeth were bared like an animal. There was something in his eyes, something that was like a fiery rage that was chilled, and she felt a chill go through her as she saw that rage, her mother shuddering as well, as if a chill had passed through her as well. It was that cool frigid face that she’d seen before, the features noble and with that hint of a will of iron.

“I see… And what are you going to do about it?”

She was going to talk to Ruby! She was seventeen and having sex with someone who was infected with a mind-parasite spirit who had apparently been doing this for years.

“Talk with her. She has to-“

His eyes looked into hers. She shuddered at the chill that came from those eyes, the coldness in those eyes making her shudder.

“Do you think it’ll work? That’s how _he_ works, that’s how he _always_ works. He’ll make it look like it’s the best option, like it’s something good, something noble. Just a duty to the world…”

A soft whisper, as his eyes lowered, lips uttering that small whisper with a hiss, the name that he’d spoken familiar.

“And then, you’re in a rocket locker, screaming at your partner to not kill herself by fighting a bitch who holds god-like power. You’re begging her not to do it, all because _one_ man tried to pretend like the world is good, like black is white and his way is the best way.”

The Fall of Beacon.

“Do you know what I would do, if I was you, Weiss?”

She shook her head, as he smiled.

“Keep my friends close, but my enemies even closer.”

The smile was one that was like the Jaune that she’d known before in school, but his eyes were frozen over, as they bulged for a moment, the face twisting into a grimace.

“All I want to do is to keep all of you safe. If I have to freeze my heart and make the guilty suffer, then so be it. If I have to stand before the people and declare that justice will be felt by those in power, I will do so. Do you know what the hardest part of doing this is, Weiss?”

Weiss shook her head, as the hero got up from the chair and walked over. He smelled like he did, a manly scent that made her remember the hopes for a father that loved her, something that brought the joy inside her to bear to mingle with the desires that she had.

“Not dropping into the abyss. Not becoming like my mother, my father or my sisters. They love me, I know, but they are all in their own way different. We’re not from Mantle, but we know Mantle. My mother speaks at lot of Mantlean, whilst father is only passable. The moment when I let go of what I am… the moment I let myself fall into that darkness…”

He was crying, she could see it, as he looked at her, a bitter hero in his armour, her grandfather’s armour, the crest showing boldly that he wore the armour of the Schnee family. His eyes darkened and there was something in them that spoke to her. A look of humanity, of caring for the people. A man who cared.

“You’ll be Jaune Arc. You’ll be the man who will look into the darkness, who’ll… Who’ll help us, if we need it.”

He looked down, his eyes closing for a moment, as he took a deep breath. There was something in his face that showed pain, age beyond his nineteen years as he opened them again. A warrior, a fighter, a murderer and someone who would stand with his back facing the innocent, to guard them against the dangers of the world.

“Always. It’ll always be me who will help you. Everything that I’ve done is for the good of my friends. I’ve lied, I’ve stolen, I’ve done things that I am not proud about, but I will never forsake those that I can call my friends. My sisters are all talented, but I- I was never that talented. Grandmother said that they would fight if I could not, but-”

A soft hiss, as he remembered the look on his great-grandmother’s face, her eyes anger-filled as he declared that he would be a hero. Saphron had still lived at home. Star had been out of the house for a while, after the tirade. 

“I’ll do what I have to, Weiss. I’ll do what I have to, and there will be no more people dead because of me. Cinder’s down there, down in Atlas…”

The look in those eyes was dangerous. It was a look of someone who was on the edge, someone who was indeed looking down into the darkness and who thought about it. A man who was clad within gold and silver, ready to leap down into the abyss and dye himself with the crimson lifeblood of the one who deserved his hate.

“And she’ll _die_. Her power, the one thing which she wants, is so far out of her reach that it’s impossible to get it. Cinder Fall will never have her power.”

He’d sent it to his sisters, she knew. There was something in his eyes that made her shudder, as her mother’s hand grabbed Jaune’s own, squeezing it lightly.

“Let me show you to the kitchen, to make you something to eat. I am pretty sure that Klein will already be preparing the breakfast preparations, so…”

A smile on his lips, the old Jaune pulling himself out of the darkness, looking better than she’d seen him before, alive and happy, as he smiled.

“I would hope that you’d wear something, lest you give Mister Sieben a heart-attack.”

Willow Schnee was not embarrassed easily, Weiss knew, but the light red flush that she got was something that had indeed been unexpected. The blood rushing through her veins was pumping a little faster as she felt the urge inside her to do just that, to wear nothing but the sweat and sticky mess that she’d been fucked into to breakfast… but her conscious mind decided that sparing herself the embarrassment was worth it.

_‘Maybe when he’s married into the family.’_

Her mother was someone who seemed to have a plan.

“Do allow me a moment to get dressed, Mister Arc. I shall have to dip into the shower myself after ensuring that you are delivered to the kitchen, but there will be no grand issue of getting you something to eat.”

Her mother was the best.

* * *

Weiss saw her mother enter the bedroom once more, the dress that she’d slipped into to cover herself somewhat properly, now worn awkwardly, her mother’s gaze directed at her with a serious expression.

“What we did last night was _not_ a regular occurrence, Weiss. I want you to know that.”

She felt like she was six again, and she’d made a mess of mother’s room. The look in her mother’s eyes was strict, as her mother’s looked at Weiss her body, her arms crossed below her chest as she regarded her.

“I just couldn’t let him wallow in that pain. He looked like your grandfather, and that is not something I would wish to-“

Her mother’s hands rubbed over her stomach, a gesture that she’d been doing frequently. It was-

“Mother- Is…”

Her mother’s eyes gave her a glare, one that meant that she should shut up.

“You will _not_ tell him, Weiss.”

_‘Mother’s pregnant by Jaune.’_

Her mouth fell open, as her eyes went wide at the implications. Jaune had sex with her mother, he’d came inside of mother, but-

“The party?”

A small nod, as her mother sat down next to her.

“Indeed. I was being serious when I said you or Winter would have to seduce him. It would be… _unwise_ , if I were to do so. He is such a _noble_ man, even with his ancestry.”

A low hiss from her lips, and her mother’s eyes looked at her, a fire within them.

“Not a _word_. And we’ll have some about that Oscar boy. What… exactly, is he?”

She looked at her hands for a moment before she sighed deeply.

“He’s… He’s the host of the spirit of the previous headmaster of Beacon.”

Her mother’s eyebrows raised in a shrewd manner, her fingers stopping their trace through her own hair, as the loose locks were pulled together.

“I see… Semblance?”

She shook her head somewhat. It wasn’t a Semblance, it was a curse from a god.

“A little... a little like the Wizard and the Maidens… he’s the wizard.”

Her mother rubbed her temples with a low groaning sound coming from her lips at the thought, the worry in her body rising, as her mother got up, grabbing her by the arm.

“Joy, a _wizard._ Just fabulous. Very well… Your friends can find different lodgings in a few days… I shan’t pull the rug from underneath you, but I will not tolerate anything to happen to Whitley or to you. We are not slaves or pawns or birds kept within a gilded cage, Weiss.”

There was a steely tone to the woman’s voice as she spoke, dragging her into the shower that was connected to the bedroom, something that most of the suites in the house had. She stepped under the spray with her mother after her mother had disrobed, the dress put onto a spot where it wouldn’t get wet. Mother would dress herself later again, she surmised.

“No matter what, Weiss… All I want is your happiness.”

She knew that her mother would want that. She was her mother, after all.

* * *

She knocked on the door, the clock showing that it was nearly six in the morning, the door opened by a bleary-faced Blake, who regarded her with drowsy eyes. The Faunus wore only a thin nightshirt with the Atlas emblem on it, the Faunus giving a soft ‘wha?’.

“I was just up, we’ll have breakfast in about one and a half hours.”

Yang rose from the bed like a zombie, her eyes looking at her, before she scratched herself under a boob, turning her gaze on to her.

“Ah, we’ll be ready. Yang? Shower, I need to get my hair washed.”

Weiss didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not, but she smiled nevertheless. Yang met her eyes, and she gave a small little nod, Blake turning back to her.

“I know that you two are early risers… well, you are. Yang’s been a nightmare to handle, you know.”

The ‘Hey there, snow princess!’ from Yang was almost playful, as the blonde got up.

“Go and check on Ruby, see whether she slept well. She’s a sleepy girl in the morning.”

Yang passed her by as Blake got herself into the attached bathroom. Weiss felt a shiver go through her as Yang walked past her, that smell of sleep and Blake, something that showed that the two had been intimate. Yang did not fully trust Blake, too hurt about what had happened.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?”

Weiss heard a squeak of ‘Yang, No!’ from Ruby and then a loud crashing noise, as something definitely broke in Ruby’s room, an angry screech from Yang coming as the sound of someone being hit was audible.

Blake’s head popped out of the bathroom and Weiss turned around to Ruby’s room, rushing to it, the door opened still and Yang’s blazing hair casting an eerie light, as the fist rose and Oscar’s face was hit, the blonde on top of the obviously nude young man.

“Yang, no! No! I wanted to, I didn’t want you to hurt him!”

Ruby was trying to prevent Yang from turning Oscar into a paste, as the blonde’s fist hit the face of the teenager again, breathing heavily.

“You and him, in bed together!”

Ruby was still naked, Weiss noticed, something that didn’t make the feeling of unease any less as she tried to stop Yang from turning Oscar into a pancake. The thought of pancakes made her think of Nora, who had always liked them, a feeling inside her gut that didn’t stop, the pain for Jaune’s loss making her shiver a little at the imagination that it conjured up. Ren was a pancake now.

“What in the name of Atlas almighty is happening here?”

Her mother’s voice was sharp and to the point, Yang stopping with her brutalization of the young man, whose face looked like it’d been given a lot more bruises than before, Yang’s hand grabbing the neck of the guy.

“This creep fucked my sister!”

Her mother crossed her arms, her face looking annoyed with the effects.

“You will leave after tomorrow, children. It looks like the Schnee home is just a playroom to you, rather than being mature adults and allowing people the _dignity_ of their morning rest.”

Her mother had worn a housecoat as if she’d only just emerged from her room, the look on Yang’s face guilty, as Oscar moaned something in pain about his nose, Ruby looking more concerned.

“Now, I suggest that you two head back to your room, Mister Pines, Miss Xiao Long.”

Her mother laid down the law, and Yang looked like she’d want to object some more, but she relented to the stern look of her mother.

Oscar fumbled for his clothes, trying to get them back on. Weiss turned away and mentally counted the time until Oscar passed her by. He needed a shower, and she needed to talk with her bestie… She _should_ talk with her bestie, but the words that Jaune had said came back to her.

_‘Keep my friends close, but my enemies closer.’_

The look at Ruby, who was busy getting herself dressed again, and then to her mother, who left after a brief look that basically amounted to ‘deal with it yourself, Weiss’, walking into the room where Ruby was trying to get herself looking proper again.

“So… you and Oscar.”

Ruby looked up, a blush on her face as she smiled.

“Yes. He’s… he’s been so understanding, telling me what he thinks about Jaune’s betrayal. This is the first time we’ve had sex and… and I think that he’s just trying his best to fit in. Professor Ozpin still isn’t talking, so we’re trying to see where it goes. Just like mom and dad.”

She had no idea how it was structured in that family, other than that Yang’s mom was a capital B with an itch.

“I see.”

Ruby looked up at her with eyes that looked hesitant, as if she wasn’t fully sure of herself.

“You like him, but- but you’re _wrong_. He’s done a bad thing, and- and we’re going to fix the world.”

Weiss smiled, as she placed her hand on Ruby’s in a sign of friendship.

“I like him, but you’re still my partner, Ruby. That won’t change.”

Her best friend smiled, and Weiss did her best smile for her ‘friends’ again, whilst internally she screamed. Her best friend had been led astray.

The morning breakfast was something that had gone accompanied with a brief conversation with her mother, a pill pushed into her hand and the strict ‘You will not have a baby yet, Weiss.’.

He’d came inside of her, something that she’d forgotten about, but her mother had not. Her mother would not want her to be pregnant, and she knew that… that her mother was carrying his baby. Her mom had beaten her to the punch.

She swallowed the pill with some water, a small smile on her mother’s lips as she did what had to be done. There would be opportunities with him later, she guessed. He was not safe yet, and Cinder Fall was still out there.

* * *

He stood there at the door, waiting for a short while, wondering what was keeping Casey and her daughter, the other children a little quieter, before he shook his head lightly. Waiting for too long for Casey wouldn’t help a thing, there must’ve been something unplanned, maybe her friends visiting. Nicta looked at ease, a smile on her lips as she did.

A soft whisper from one of them about ‘Casey sleeping in again now that her man’s not there anymore.’, as he let his thoughts drift off. He’d get back to the house later, to tell her the good news.

“Stay safe, kids. Don’t let the schoolbook Grimm bite!”

He was aware of the mothers giving him looks, little Viri waving at him with a smile, as he let his eyes go to the Huntsman who’d been sent to accompany the kids. He was doing it in his own free time, out of obligation to the children, to the people that he’d started to feel fond for.

“How about we go and check whether Casey is alright, huh? You up for coming along, dude?”

The huntsman was a recent graduate, he knew from talking to the guy, the bola-shooting rifle on his back showing clearly that he was more of a ranged fighter, the electrical Dust socketed within the rifle powering it.

“Of course, ‘Councilman Arc’.”

The comment was a little snarky, as the man’s clear preference for another candidate came through. It wasn’t Hill, but that Butter guy.

He couldn’t wait to give Casey the news that she might get a job at the Schnee manor. It’d probably be something like switching schools for her daughter, but… but he couldn’t help but want to keep her close.

Nicta and the others clustered around him, talking about various happenstances around the city.

“We’ll definitely watch your debate tonight, Jaune. Go and beat them all out of the park, for Mantle. First under-twenty candidate for the Council in known history, wooh!”

Nicta didn’t add her commentary, her face looking serious as she did, as they arrived at her home. A familiar smell drifted into his nostrils, but he didn’t quite recognize where he’d smelled it before.

“Casey?”

The key turned into the door’s lock, twisted and the door opening up again slowly, the smell of something familiar, something that he’d smelled before.

“Hey, Cas, I’ve-“

The smell of blood. A lot of blood, a lot of blood that was spread, the coppery smell making its way into his nostrils, as he saw the couch overturned, a spray of blood covering the wall as someone seemed to have been-

“Oh gods, oh gods-! Casey!”

Someone screamed, and he looked at the far wall that'd been the draw of his attention. The body was still wearing the apron she’d worn during the time that she was cooking, a glass blade shoved through her body to pin it there to the wall, whilst there was a big hole in her chest, the blood having clotted long since, the fabric ripped and torn, a big hand-like hole within the woman's chest.

The freezing cold inside him nearly erupted, as the tears came, and he looked in the dull dead eyes of Casey as she hung there, a blade shoved through her throat, the blood having dried on it already. 

**WHERE IS SHE, ARC?!**

Had been painted in blood above the woman’s body, and he gave a soft whimper, as the freezing cold froze his heart over once more, his breathing stilling in his chest, as he felt the world shatter and freeze over.

“ _No_ …”

There was pain in his voice as he approached, his head turning to the Huntsman, who stood there like he’d frozen in the spot.

“Call the police, whoever. There’s been a murder, I’ll go check whether… whether… Her daughter, she has a daughter and-”

He entered the bedroom, ignoring the name and the happy smile of the sticker on the door, the name spelled out, the smell of blood thick in the air, his gaze sweeping through the room and he saw the body pinned to the wall, similar to her mother. A large hole in her chest, a fist-sized hole.

**You couldn’t save this one either, Arc.**

The blood definitely had been from the girl. He saw a picture of himself with Casey and her daughter on the table at the bed, a bloody print on it, obviously from Cinder, remembering that Casey had taken it earlier in the week, the smile on his face in the picture kept up. He looked up at the body, as a conversation played through his head of a week ago, or perhaps somewhat more.

_“Pyrrha, get the pots. Jaune will need to get his armour off.”_

The girl’s face was twisted in a rictus of pain, the poster of Pyrrha Nikos, her namesake, boldly up on the wall, unmarked by the blood.

_“Named her after the cereal girl. Yeah… I had to eat a lot of that cereal during the cravings, but it was cheap and it tasted good. So, little Pyrrha. Are you… are you okay? You look really sad, is everything okay?”_

The blood had formed a puddle below her body, as the dead eyes looked at him with shock in them, the smaller body looking not like the six year old that she was.

_“I love you, daddy. You're making mom smile again.”_

A soft hiss of pain came from his lips as he looked at the body, a creak coming from the direction of the door, as Nicta came to join him. The woman’s face was grim-faced, as she looked at the body with that clinical look, the pain hidden away.

“Pyrrha too. Jaune…”

He looked away and Nicta’s eyes met his own, her fingers touching his side. He felt so cold on the inside, and everything was going away, everything was hurting so much that it didn’t make sense. Why? Why would-

“I’m so sorry. Especially about the baby, I’m s-“

_‘Baby? What… what baby?’_

There was a fear welling up inside him, as the torrential hail of frozen emotions battered his tenderized heart already, as he turned to look into the woman’s eyes, his hand grabbing her hand. He didn’t know what face he was making, but she startled away, trying to tug her hand away from him. He was holding it, and the woman was making sounds of pain, as his eyes looked into the woman's with an urgent need.

“What… What baby, Nicta? What?”

Nicta’s face showed pity and sadness as she spoke up quietly. His hand slowly let go of hers, as she spoke.

“She… must’ve not told you yet. She… She was pregnant. It's... It was yours. She wouldn't have slept with anyone else, so-”

He’d… She’d…

He’d-

_‘I… I was near- I- a father?’_

The tears froze on his face as he cried, walking from the bedroom of Casey’s daughter, to the body of Casey, looking at the stomach, at the place where a little life had been formed because of him. He’d gotten her pregnant, and she’d hid it from him, undoubtedly because she’d… she’d known that he was walking a path of blades.

“Jaune, wait- Wait, she’s…”

He looked at the features, still twisted in pain and more negative feelings, her eyes dull and without life. The mother of his first child. The mother of his first child, the mother of his first child and she was… she was dead.

The tears kept on freezing as the chill of the room hit him, the freezing cold from his heart mimicking the room temperature. The heater hadn’t been enough, the cold was creeping in.

“She wanted to hide it, because you don’t need distractions. She- she did it for you, and-“

The man known as Jaune Arc _shattered._

Jaune Arc shattered and broke and crumbled, as the knowledge that he’d lost a friend, a mother to a wonderful girl who’d bore Pyrrha’s name, who’d been pregnant with his baby…

“I’ll give a statement to the police, and then...”

The darkness was wrapping around him. The darkness, the pain and the hopelessness wrapped around him and he felt lost. He felt so lost, but he… he knew that there was one option.

_‘Cinder…’_

“Then we go to the clinic after passing by Doctor Polendina's.”

The tears froze on his cheeks as he caught his reflection in one of the picture frames, the blood vessels in both of his eyes burst through the stress, lending a red sheen to his eyes. The blue engulfed by a sea of red, as his Aura flashed, mending the damage. His sclera were white again, as his eyes were as frosty blue as the skies during daytime, but all he could see was the night.

Cool, frosty eyes remained to stare at the body of the woman he'd enjoyed the company of as a friend, lover and acquaintance, as they waited for the police to arrive.

* * *

“We’ll strike tonight.”

The look on Jaune’s father’s face was sharp, as he pulled the big suitcase shut again, his wife currently in the process of sharpening the sword-whip with a whetstone, her red eyes looking at her husband.

“Oh, it’ll be time, won’t it. My little Cinder Romanov… Ahh, it’ll be a massacre. Guard me, meine Liebe. I want to taste her blood. Mama wouldn’t have wanted me to leave her alive… No, not at all.”

The man sighed softly, as May shifted a little, the cup of tea offered to the mother of their team leader, Nora’s eyes catching sight of Ren meditating, the dress that he wore nothing too out of the ordinary. The infiltration had been without a flaw. People trusted their friends, and they held such affections…

_‘And when we’re back with her head, Jaune… Let’s make sure that we get the other bits taken care of. We don’t let you fall.’_

“Councilman-candidate Jaune Arc-“

The news flickered, and their eyes went to the television that’d been set up in the corner, a cheap set. Jaune’s parents glanced up, as a brief image of a happily smiling blonde woman came to the news, a small picture of her daughter.

“… discovering a murder of two of our Mantlean citizens, Cassandra Role and her daughter Pyrrha Role.”

_‘Oh shit…’_

Ren’s eyes were worried, as she looked at him. He looked a little grim in his face, his eyes doubting for a moment as he looked from the TV to her. She spoke up, trying to inflect some hope into the situation.

“At least he knows we’re alive… She’d take care of him, Doctor Nicta said that she’d be able to, right?”

Jaune’s father coughed softly. He looked a little embarrassed, almost as if he'd done something that wasn't fully alright.

“Well… I gave her the order to keep shut about it. It’s not- We’re _still_ wanted in Atlas, so secrecy was a bit more pressing, Nora. You can’t trust _anyone,_ unless you own their loyalty.”

_‘Oh… fuck. Fuck. He doesn’t know that we faked our deaths… Okay, it’s Jaune, he’s been through this before. He didn't answer my call and... and I hope that he'll make it through this. He’ll be strong, until after the election. He’s going to be strong, he’s going to be the best, his parents are with us, so we know what to do. He’d rather see Cinder Fall dead than to be angry with us.’_

The mother and father gave each other a long look, the two looking at the television once again afterwards.

“He’s a strong boy… Mama approved of him, and he was to be someone great. It’s why we taught the others to fuck people up, Leon. Just one death, and Cinder will be ashes…”

The fingers of the man tapped onto his thigh, an expression on his face that wasn’t something that could be wiped away easily, his expression darkening a little as he did.

“But he’ll do what he must. If he’s hurt, he’ll mend. Our son isn’t a weakling. He will do what he has to, because he knows that we love him. We’re going to reunite with him, with Cinder’s head in the bag. He’s proven himself to me.”

A soft hiss from the mother of their team leader, the woman’s hand grabbing her husband by the shirt.

“Not to me! Leon, we should test him! My dear boy still hasn’t found a wife!”

The man groaned, as his wife started to talk in Mantlean swiftly.

“No, no… It’s bad enough that his sisters spoiled him. You are not going to-“

Rosa Arc, or Neopolitan as she wished to be called, tapped against the wall.

“Dibs.”

Nora watched mother and daughter stare at each other. There was an undercurrent of something in those looks, as the father of their glorious leader tried to look elsewhere. It took a moment, before the mother relented.

“Sure. I’ll have to strangle the life out of him for being a stupid bastard afterwards. After we nab Fall’s head, we’re going to go and get my son. He needs hugs, cuddles and _love._ Leonhard! You get to make the call. Rosa needs to be instructed in how to properly be respectful to her elders.”

It’d be perfect. The heavy hammer that she’d opted for as her ‘undercover’ weapon was needing a good bit of Cinder Fall to christen it into Mjollnir.

_‘Just wait, Jaune… When we get her head, we’ll have that family reunion.’_

She didn’t mind changing her surname to Von Arcadia, anyways. She’d met the head of the family, after all.

“You will not call _dibs_ on your own brother, Rosa Alba Von Arcadia!”

The umbrella only managed to block the strike from the older woman at the last moment. 

Talk about one heck of a matriarch… No Aura and still able to keep her daughter on her toes, 

* * *

The door to the clinic was pushed open, the storm of ice and fury inside him growing, as he glanced at Nicta and motioned for the door to the place where the prisoner was kept. The smell of cleaning agent wasn’t a deterrent, as he waited for her to come to the door.

“Open it up.”

The woman opened the door, his voice colder than it’d ever been. There was deadly rage within him, as he remembered the times that he’d spent with Casey, the times that’d been good and wonderful.

Doctor Watts looked up from a half-dozing state, as he walked to the man. The man’s arms had remained intact, whilst the legs had been strapped to the chair that he’d been interned in. The moustache shifted a little, as Jaune grabbed the bindings and then pulled them open, the stumps moving a little.

“Get him the prosthetics, Nicta.”

The tape that’d been pushed over the man’s mouth was gone after a moment, the man’s face looking irritated at that he’d pulled it off so brusquely, Nicta looking with a delicate expression as the man was unshackled.

“It seems that you have changed your mind about working together, Jaune. Things have changed, haven't they?”

The look on his own face was dark, as he looked at the man and bared his teeth in a snarl. The moustache quivered, as the green eyes stared with an intellectual disdain.

"It's simple, Arthur. You can choose your mistress' good graces after telling her about being outwitted by a teenager with a bad haircut and two friends who ambushed you, or you can work under me. She doesn't tolerate failure of her subjects and allies, Arthur. At least with me, you'll have a chance to survive..."

The man's face darkened, as that bit of news hit. Arthur Watts' eyes looked at him, before the man's head lowered and he took to one knee. 

"What is your bidding, my Kaiser?" 

Classical words, spoken by a woman decades before, right in the palace before the Great War was ignited. Jaune Amadeus Von Arcadia looked at the man for a while as he remembered the faces of those that mattered most. 

"Cinder Fall's death. I have need of your talents, Arthur."

Mantle and Atlas did not matter anymore. The cold chill of his heart would not fade, even with the warmth of a lover to heat it up. 

_'Grandmother called it Totale Krieg... To use your enemy's resources against them... or to forge alliances with a mutual enemy... As long as the end result is winning, all means are justified. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'_

He wanted to see her dead, by any means necessary. 

_"There will be a time when you think all hope is lost, Jaune. When that time comes... You'll do your best work. I killed my first man at twelve, because my mother told me to get used to it. They call me the bloody vampire... But you're too kind, too nice. Mother really adores you for that innocence, she says it reminded her of better times when my sister still lived. She would have liked you... Your sisters are much like me, but you are like her. It was a shame that she died... Salome was a wonderful young woman... Whenever you lose all hope, whenever the thought of death looks like it's the better option... Fight. Fight as hard as you can, as hard as you must. Kill, murder, maim, give no recourse and just be as cold as ice. If we can help... We will. The family is most important to us."_

* * *

**Next chapter: The Debate featuring Bernard Sands, Joe Butter, Robyn Hill and Jaune Arc!**

**More Winter in the next chapter, too. It's kind of hard to be in contact with your family with a general hounding your steps.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like to.**


	21. Debates for a party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyanide's attempt to make stuff look sexy.

**Well… It’s the debate! Watch the electoral candidates handle the people!**

* * *

She let her fingers stroke through her hair for a brief moment before she started to braid it in the braid that she’d adopted since getting settled in Atlas. Her reflection in the mirror did not do much for her, as her eyes looked at her body, clad within the Huntsman outfit that she’d composed when she’d gotten the time to shop. It wasn’t a badly fitting set of clothes, making her look like her sister somewhat, with the skirt a little longer than before. The blue dress was nice, but it was _not_ meant for fighting Grimm.

“Weiss?”

The voice of Klein startled her for a moment, the man entering, his eyes holding a worried look as the butler’s gaze met hers.

“Are you doing okay, my little snowflake?”

She shook her head. Ruby had been convinced that Oscar wasn’t manipulating her, even if Weiss could see it happening, the soft whispers of a man who would undoubtedly do worse to her friend if she remained unaware of the world not stopping. The worry in her heart did not stop as she looked down at the half-woven braid.

“No. It feels…”

She felt the aching within her, aware of the pill that she’d taken. Jaune had been with her mother, he’d put a baby in her mother and he didn’t know about it. She should tell him, but…

“Sometimes, we have to make choices we don’t agree with on a personal level, little snowflake. Your mother made the choice to support Mister Arc.”

Her mother _had._ It was not just the pregnancy, but also that feeling of knowing a man at his core, at his lowest and highest. Sex was great, sex was wonderful. Sex was something that made her feel like she was connected, and she looked up at the man who’d always been a holdfast in her life since she was young.

“Do you think he’s doing the right thing? He’s killed someone, in order to protect Winter.”

The man didn’t look too surprised, as his eyes shifted to a colour that was lighter. The man’s mental issue, of shifting his personalities, something that he could barely control but was kind of funny sometimes.

“And he did it for _her._ He is a man who loves people, Weiss. You can see it in his eyes when you meet him, a little like your grandfather. He loved his workers, and your mother is trying to do what she thinks is best. Murder is the taking of a life, but to take a life in order to spare someone a fate most unkind… Can you say that it wasn’t justified?”

The woman had been old. The magic would have gone into Winter if she’d gone through with the process. It would have been bad if Winter had become the Winter Maiden, forever locked away in Atlas.

It would’ve been bad for her as well, as a sister to the Winter Maiden. The General would undoubtedly choose the safer option of grounding her in Atlas.

“It was an old woman. The semblance she’d give to Winter would have kept her in a cage, the military not letting her go.”

She hated to be locked up, as father had done after Beacon. She wanted to be free, to be rid of this cage and to fly into the world and find her own path. A freedom that she’d been denied, something that she’d wished to get, because she had seen the world at its true ugly core.

The world was twisted and cruel. The council, an entity that had been supposed to be a guardian of the people, separated Mantle and Atlas into two halves, the latter more open to development, whilst the people of Mantle starved in the cold.

General Ironwood, a friend of the family, as she’d been led to believe, turning into a despotic dictator who wielded his power like a club, going after one of her close friends and trying to make it sound like Jaune had become the embodiment of evil, as if it would solve the Maiden’s location.

“Then do you think that he did the right thing? Did Winter want to take the power of that Semblance?”

It was a good question. Winter had seemed to be so convinced, but then… then she remembered the moment in Winter’s bedroom, the devastated woman who had shattered and who had cried. There was something human about Winter at that moment that struck out at her like a lit candle in a dark room.

Winter had loved Jaune, and she’d wished to desert the military for him, because he’d awoken her from the deep frosty slumber that she’d been in to the feeling of love. Winter had loved him, even if it had been a fake love, something that had held more passion from her sister than anything else not related to family.

_‘You were trying to do things that girls did, because father never let you out of his sight and you joined the military because of it…’_

“She wanted to, but then… then she fell in love. Then _I_ fell in love even worse and now- It’s so hard, Klein. We both love the same man, but…”

She couldn’t tell the man about the baby. Winter would undoubtedly be shocked, but it would not be too much of a hurdle to overcome. Mother was a smart woman, who did not wish to cause undue worry for her daughters.

“Does he love you back?”

She thought he did. He loved much, his body strong, his eyes looking at her as if she was the focus of his life. He loved Winter more, probably, but as far as partners went in their little group, it was either Qrow Branwen or Oscar… and she wouldn’t touch either them with a six-foot pole. She was not going to be one of those girls with ‘daddy issues’.

_‘Okay, if I wear a nice thin dress and no underwear and sit in his lap… perhaps he’ll be a daddy for me?’_

That was hot. Women thought of sex as many times as men did, and she was not sexually mute!

“I think he does, or at least… he does love Winter and his… his former team. I thought that his female teammate might have been competition, but- but that’s silly.”

A ping of the Scroll at her side and she opened it up.

**‘Watch this, Weiss.’**

Her sister had sent her a link, and she caught the address of the main news channel for Mantle.

She could see the photo of Jaune that’d been used for promotional manners stand out, his smile bright, as a woman she didn’t recognize and a little girl, maybe around six…

_‘Oh no… No, no, no. He said he was staying at a friend’s house and…’_

The girl’s name was Pyrrha. No wonder that he didn’t want to mention it, it would hurt to even refer to her like that, because it had been his partner. A popular name in a certain time, but… but this…

_‘No, no, no!’_

How was he feeling? How WOULD he be feeling? It must’ve been Cinder Fall, it must have. That woman would go to any length, and she could see the call from Winter incoming, the trilling tune of the ringtone, as her sister called her.

“You’ve seen it, Weiss?”

She made an affirmative sound, her sister’s face appearing on the Scroll, the look in her eyes dark, the surroundings where Winter was located looking nowhere like her apartment in the military section of Atlas. It looked more urbane, Atlas definitely, but not in the military area.

“He will need help. He isn’t a strong man when it comes to shocks like these. Weiss... Be brave. Climb that fountain like you did when we were young.”

Winter was interpreting things wrongly. She’d been the one climbed the Fountain, against the wishes of her mother, just to show how brave she was, and she’d broken her ankle and…

“I’ll make sure not to break an ankle.”

The smile on her sister’s face was warmer, as she looked down, her fingers brushing through her hair. Weiss could see that there was something in her sister's eyes, something that didn't seem to have been there before, a deep feeling of melancholy, as the smile on her sister's face reminded her of the time that Winter had upset father.

“So proud… Just… Just remember. I love you, no matter what happens.”

Klein looked at her sister, Winter spotting him and smiling quietly.

“It’s good to see you again, Klein. Make mother happy with some tea, please.”

The warm smile on Klein’s lips was something that didn’t go away even if the man did not go as far as to mention his own relief at seeing her older sister, the small nod.

“A pleasure, Miss Winter. Will you be visiting home one of these days? The Lady has expressed a desire to have her family with her once again.”

The words weren’t something to worry about too much, knowing that the man meant well with his words. Her sister had been avoiding the house since Father had disinherited her, so perhaps she could return once more to the house.

The worry in her heart was something that did not fade so easily, her sister smiling quietly.

“Perhaps with my partner as an escort, Mister Sieben. I look forward to bringing home a man who befits my station in life.”

Formal words, something that mother had once said. A man befitting the station of the CEO of the SDC. Nothing that would draw the attention of the people in an unsavoury way, but a man who could stand proudly next to Willow, Winter or Weiss Schnee.

“Then I will look forward to your return home, Lady Winter.”

Her sister smiled and she mouthed a soft ‘I love you’ to them before she shut the call down. Weiss looked at her reflection in the mirror and she started to finish braiding her hair. It was only when Klein coughed that she realized that he was still in the room, her fingers stroking over her scalp.

“Don’t let the chance slip, little snowflake. If you miss it, you might regret it later.”

Advice from a man who had seen her grow up, who had been a caring and loving figure in her life, when her father had not been able to muster the emotions of care for her and her sister and her little brother.

She would have to find something to do tonight. She’d have to watch the debate… and she’d see Jaune do his best for Mantle and for Atlas.

* * *

Jaune looked at the members of his staff, as assigned by the Council of Atlas, his eyes going to Callie, who was looking like she’d rather be elsewhere, as Dirk shifted a little.

“What?”

The frozen blizzard in his heart kept his features composed.

“Information on Robyn Hill. I need to know as much about her as I can, as far as Atlas has it.”

Cinder had taken Casey from him. Her daughter died as well, all for some stupid power. It wasn’t fair. It was not fair and Cinder would pay.

_“When you are with your back against the wall, when you’ve only got a sword in your hand and the enemy is hunting you, that is when you turn to offence… When all hope seems lost, find that strength within you… and hurt them until they are dead.”_

“Well… She’s in her late twenties, maybe early thirties and-“

His hand slammed down onto the desk at his side and his emotions showed on his face. He could still smell the blood, he could still hear Ren’s defeated tone as he chose death. They had all burned and turned to ashes, and he was the one who would carry on, who would do the things that he had to.

“How can you not know someone’s _age_? If she registered with Atlas Academy, she’d have to have a record of her birth.”

The anger boiled over, and he could feel the pain surge.

“It’s hard, okay? No need to be so upset, bad things happened, you were witness to a murder scene, and-“

Dirk tried to shush him, tried to appeal to his reason. Beyond reason, there was nothing. The hailstorm in his heart did not stop, as the pain burned through his whole body with the hurt increasing even more than before. There was nothing but that hot pain inside, that burning agony that didn’t stop revolving over and over until the pain once again had burned through the system.

“And you are _all_ in danger. She will hunt you, in order to hurt me. I should have never…”

He turned away, taking a few deep breaths. Arthur Watts was out there now, walking around. The bag in his hands, the method of communication given. A weapon that was held on a leash, out of fear, out of desire. The method of carrot and stick was something tried and tested, and it worked.

“But I will make this place a better place, even if I have to leave. I will not let people suffer…”

His great-grandmother had told him that war was inevitable when it came to this world, that there would always be people suffering. There would be a wall around Mantle, reinforced and strengthened by the Schnee Dust Company’s resources, and General Ironwood was someone who would not yield his power…

_‘Stubborn, arrogant and unaware of the might of the people…’_

“I’m sorry- I… I found out that she- the woman I was- this morning…”

Callie made a sound, as miss Gelato gave a pitying look, even Dirk just making a sound of understanding.

“It’s been a tough day for you, Mister Arc. Your friend was murdered, her daughter too… That makes someone lose hope, be a bit more irritable than before. I don’t hold it against you. It happens.”

The man was sensible, fortunately, knowing the stress that he was under.

“I found out that she was pregnant afterwards. It’s… it’s a little tough to swallow. I’m still…”

He closed his eyes and breathed in and out heavily.

“Robyn Hill is responsible for this. Her Happy Huntresses…”

He was aware of his Scroll beeping once, and he looked at the bag that had been set to the side, the one that contained the leftover clothes that he’d had. It had been scavenged from the home after the murder scene had been inspected.

“They will not get the seat on the council as long as I live. This went too far.”

The faces of the members of his political campaign were dubious, the looks that they gave each other, Jaune noticing that he had his hand on his blade. He was ready to kill Cinder Fall, Robyn Hill or whoever was in front of him, if he needed to.

“That’s a very loaded statement… Can I suggest revising it to keeping them out of office for the first three terms? That sounds much better.”

Dirk tried to mend the words with a small addition to it, trying to make it sound like he wasn’t threatening them with death. Cinder Fall and the Happy Huntresses were aligned, so there would be justice forthcoming.

“I’ve got a debate to have tonight. Let’s see whether Robyn can muster an appropriate defence for some of the questions that we’ll have… Callie? Do you think we’ll have popular support?”

The young woman startled as she was addressed, as the frozen storm in his heart slowly thawed, trying to focus on other things than the death of his… of his friend and her daughter.

“Y-yes. We are at least getting the support from the labour union, with your brief speech with Miss Schnee. Willow Schnee has also indicated in writing that she is supporting your bid for the Council, and that adds the weight of the Schnee Dust Company behind you. A lot of people are employed, so… they might vote for you? Hill has been losing support, according to the last poll that was taken.”

That was something that was a good thing. Ironwood was not able to touch him until the election was dealt with, and it would not be something that would easily swing the votes in his favour. Robyn Hill…

_‘The hard choices that I make, it’s all for the right goal.’_

He had a debate to work on, and his team needed guidance from him about their direction, the Huntsman team that he’d been a part of now only remaining as a single J.

He would win this, and then he’d find the bitch when Arthur got her location…

* * *

Nervously, she stood in the training room, aware of what was going on around her. Ruby and Oscar were talking, Yang was looking like she was in a good mood and Blake looked as she always did, like a failed character in a popular series that had no purpose other than to speak about the oppression of her people. The ONYX series had ended in a flop, anyways. An all-Huntsman men team that fought against oppression!

“Okay, tonight’s the debate, and the day after is the election! Jaune will be there and he’s murdered someone now in Mantle, so-“

_‘Wait, what?’_

She raised a hand, snapping her fingers for attention. She snapped twice, before they looked at her.

“Why do you say that he’s murdered someone in Mantle? What evidence do you have that confirms that?”

That was just wrong. He would’ve been with them the whole night, so he couldn’t have snuck out and done something like that. It would take at least thirty minutes to get to the transport terminal, let alone making it in time for transport down.

“He was on the news. He’s killed the Winter Maiden, so why _wouldn’t_ he have done it? He’s bad, you know?”

_‘That’s not a good line of thinking.’_

Yang looked at her for a moment, Blake barely making a sound, the Faunus looking at Ruby with a look that was quiet. Yang’s head nodded quietly.

“So, he’s murdered someone… And _I_ nearly murdered your boyfriend this morning, Ruby. Am I going to be arrested?”

Ruby looked aghast at the thought of that.

“No, you were angry! You’re my big sister, he’s- he’s different! We need the Winter Maiden to get to the Relic!”

_‘For what? What would you need the Relic for?’_

That was the nebulous and uncertain reasoning that she’d heard before, her gaze sliding to Oscar, who looked like he was thinking about something. It didn’t make her feel comfortable at all, but she moved anyways.

“His… his family name probably isn’t Arc. Didn’t he lie about his transcripts? If he’s lied about them, perhaps- perhaps there is more.”

She looked at Oscar, whose head turned to her with an inquisitive expression on her face, as Ruby’s face showed some consternation.

“But- but what of- he’d lie to us, to his friends?”

_‘Were we ever great friends, if we think he’d have it in him to murder an innocent woman and her daughter?’_

She didn’t know that at all. Weiss Schnee did not know, and she was just guessing at motivations. He’d been with them last night, but she wasn’t going to admit that. They might think she was against them, or something.

“His team might have known. We weren’t exactly, _well_ … _close_ , during Beacon. During the trip, it might’ve gone unnoticed, I mean, he’s just known as Jaune Arc to us, so…”

Oscar walked up to them, the cane in his right hand, shifted to the left.

“I remember that I- Professor Ozpin did not handle the admissions himself. It was always Professor Port who did such things with Glynda, she was- she was always responsible for the background research. James has offered to host us in the military district, if we wish, he- he feels responsible.”

Yang smiled brightly, a smile that was as warm as it could be made.

“No worries! I spoke with Uncle Qrow earlier, he’s more than willing to let us get back into the dorm. You’re welcome to join us too, if you want.”

The cheeriness was fake, Weiss knew. It was as fake as the happiness that Yang had shown earlier, the hidden game that was being played around Oscar Pines’ detection. Yang did not trust him, she did not trust him…

She would not let herself be caged in the games of someone who thought to know better than herself. That had been with her father, when he had ruled the household and had brought more than just pain to her life and had taken her freedom away.

“Ah, that’d be nice. Weiss… are you?”

She shook her head, looking at the large crest of the Schnee family on the wall. The training room had been made especially for her to train in, since Winter had escaped towards the military. She knew this room well.

“I will stay with mother. I’m sorry, but… She’s my mother.”

The excuse she would use, knowing that Ruby would understand. Out of all four of them, only Blake and herself had mothers who were at any rate ‘decent’, and Raven Branwen could not be counted as much of a mother at any rate.

“I know, and… Yeah, sorry, I’m silly. Let’s see the debate tonight, guys. Let’s hope that someone will win who can help Mantle!”

It was an idle hope, but she would see who won.

* * *

Her grip on Mjollnir was firm as she stood there in the office, her hair combed back and her forehead more exposed, the bright glint of the lights making her look away. Cinder wasn’t here yet, but she would be. To catch Jaune Arc, you would have to be at the place he was at. During a debate, the security would be too high. After the debate, there would be one place where he’d be going, most likely.

Ren was already alert, the dress flattering his form. It was combat-ready, and it would not impede his fighting at all, even if he did a triple-back flip that made him look cool and dashing. It would be an ambush for him, right at his campaign office. Several of the desks had been shoved aside, Cinder’s hand tapping onto one of the desks as the Scroll in front of her displayed the election. The other Happy Huntresses were on standby, except for the Sheep Faunus, who looked like she was a little uneasy, May leaning against a wall.

“Come on, start already… the quicker it’s over, the quicker my power will be with me again.”

Jaune’s parents were in the vicinity, one floor above them, to be exact. Rosa Arc, in her guise of Neopolitan, stood there in the corner, smoking one of her cigars, uncaring of how she looked.

“Robyn will win, she has to. She’s the best option for Mantle, Miss Romanov.”

The stupid were led by idealism, Nora had once heard, and the sheep Faunus was definitely one of the idealistic bunch, who believed that there would be freedom if there was an election, stealing from the military the things that the military needed…

_‘Foolish people who have only gotten the cause of Mantle to worry about, who think that because the poor get what they want, they should not think differently. Kuroyuri fell as well as the other settlements, all because of the Grimm…’_

She hadn’t forgotten how begging had felt. She and Ren had not found a comfortable place to settle until they had come to Beacon, entered without any sort of fuss on the Combat Exam that was held, the memories of eating from the garbage bin because she had no other option having faded when she’d found her friends. Ren loved her, and she loved Ren, but Jaune was definitely number two. What other choice did she have? A gallant Ren and a knight who just wished to help the world…

_‘Lucky Nora.’_

“So, nervous for nabbing that asshole?”

May asked, as she stood in front of them, Ren shifting a little. Her Rennie didn’t really have a great female voice, but it was all for play.

“It’s for Mantle. We’ll do what we can.”

Murder, if this had been an ordinary Council election. Robyn Hill expected Cinder to remain composed when the big and juicy prize was in front of her, and that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“Yeah, Robyn wants to make a change. Thank you for helping out.”

The Semblance that Jaune’s father had was limited in the number of people that it could control, according to the man. Obviously, it wasn’t like her own Semblance, which required an _ungodly_ amount of lightning to make her be able to punt Atlas into the upper atmosphere, but hey… She wanted to try it at least once.

The woman who was tied down and placed in the corner made a sound that she didn’t quite agree with that statement of ‘helping out’, the kidnapping done before they came here. Mariah Curry, or something, the girlfriend of Jaune’s campaign leader. A score was to be settled between Cinder and Jaune, if all were to go according to the woman’s plan.

She’d settle for killing Cinder, though.

* * *

The lights were still a fixture that he’d never really get used to, the makeup artist starting to do touches on his face and hair, to ‘polish away the blemishes of a bad night’s sleep, honey’, the effeminate man’s fingers deftly scrubbing away the marks, even though he’d showered beforehand. It was something that he had to do.

“You can do it, champ. You’re Jaune Arc, and nothing that Sands or Butter is going to do will harm you. You’re young, you’ve got a few good districts and you’ve done stuff, so you can do it.”

Dirk was trying to encourage him, he knew. It was all on the charisma aspect now, and he would hope that he did better than his competitors. Joe Butter and Bernard Sands…

“I’ll make sure that Mantle gets what it deserves.”

As he was led to a lectern that stood on the stage and a microphone was attached to his armoured breastplate, he caught sight of the crowd of people, scanning it for people. He caught sight of a face he thought he recognized, the hair an utterly horrible shade of blue, but that wouldn’t be something possible, he guessed. He was led back behind the curtains, where a few old men stood, no trace of Robyn Hill to be found.

“Nicholas! It’s so nice to see you again, I thought you kicked the bucket years before. So good that it was just a wee little dip in the health. We’re running for Miner’s Representation rights tonight, are we? Good on ya, with that little Dust mining company. Rudy Hill would be proud of his little babe, all grown now…”

_‘Does he think I’m Nicholas Schnee?’_

The man looked in his twilight years, and if someone had told him that the man had fought in the Great War, he’d have believed it.

“Hai, Bernard Sands, pleasure to meet with ya. Have ya thought about joining the communal party? A bright young man like you should sheesh de meansh of produchshun.”

He wasn’t sure whether the man was even capable, with that sort of speech. A common accent, something that hadn’t been really a bad point with the people of Mantle, but the… means of production?

“I’m just here to make Mantle a better place, sir.”

He would be humble, he would do what he had to do, and…

Robyn Hill stepped onto the stage, her crossbow-staff on her back, looking at him with a look that definitely wasn’t friendly, the smile as fake as her desire to bow down before James Ironwood was. He smiled nevertheless, as the cold flame inside his heart burned.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

He could hear Pyrrha’s voice, knowing that this woman was responsible for the deaths of many. He extended a hand for her to shake, her eyes looking into his own, a challenge within them. An older woman, someone who had decided to ally with Cinder for some sort of stupid power…

“Miss Hill, a pleasure to meet you. You had sent some of your friends to meet me, I do apologize… I had children to bring home to their mothers. I’m sure that you can understand the sentiment, knowing that Mantle’s children are its future.”

The smile on her lips was as fake as the one on his own, her hand shaking his with a brief shake that continued for a moment too long, the woman’s gloved hand pulling away, her eyes placid, unemotional.

“Indeed, regrettable. I had meant to speak with you about a little issue… But it seems that there will be a debate. May the one who wins lead Mantle to glory.”

Arrogance. Futility, hopelessness. He remembered them, and he knew that she was guilty. If he could get away with it she would be dead, but it was not the time for that, not now. She was a political rival and someone whose presence was unmistakably needed until the end of the election. He would win this fair and square, or lose it.

“Do you really think that helping Cinder Fall will win you any favours, Miss Hill?”

The woman looked doubtful for a moment at him, her eyes looking down to the ground without any sort of comment, as she seemed to mull over it.

“Will denying someone really help Mantle? You should have given up, you do not care for Mantle in the slightest.”

He did, at least partially. It had been the people, their faith in him, the love, the…

It had been for the people, he knew. It had been for the people of Mantle who needed a protector, it had been for Winter. The people didn’t need to suffer from the war that raged in the shadows.

“As long as I breathe, I will try my best to make sure that those I love are safe. She will betray you, Robyn. That’s what she always does, like a treacherous snake. She only craves her power…”

One of the presenters came to the front, a man who wore a suit and a tie that clashed with it.

“Are we ready? The debate will start in five minutes, and the order in which you’ll enter the stage will be Mister Butter, Mister Sands, Miss Hill and then you, Mister Arc. Mantle has chosen you as their representatives, and we are proud to host you.”

The man wasn’t talking for himself, but the others in the room nodded, Robyn’s hands brushing over the weapon on her back. His own weapon was sheathed at his back, as he never went anywhere without being armed, but it would send a message of being warlike either way. He wasn’t someone who would not remember the blood that was shed.

He entered last, letting the crowd, which had swelled somewhat since he’d been led backstage, watch him. He stood next to Robyn Hill, a tall woman in her own right, but not as tall as he was, his armour adding a dimension to him that held an imposing view to it. He glanced back and forth, his attention shifting to the crowd and from Robyn, as the announcer started to go over the regulations and rules that he’d learned by heart.

“First question for… Mister Sands, from the audience.”

A young man wearing thick glasses got up. A shirt with ‘ANARCHY UNITED!’ on it showed proudly in the lights of the hall in which they’d been gathered.

“Mister Sands, do you support the workers of Atlas as well as the workers in Mantle? Your platform has been mostly for Mantle, and if you could clarify…”

The man’s hand rose in the air in a balled fist. It was a symbol of strength.

“All da woikers of Atlas shall seehze da meansh of producshon! We are not just Mantle, but also Atlash! For da revoloishon of da indushtree! Woikahs of Mantle, I am for yoo!”

Jaune could barely keep his face placid as several people started to talk, and he tapped his lectern’s button.

“What mister Sands seems to say is that he supports a violent revolution against the ruling class of Atlas. The workers of Mantle and the workers in Atlas are both different types of people.”

_‘I am lucky to have read up on this stuff… It’s important, as Casey said…’_

“In Atlas, they produce the fine technology, the drills that mine the Dust, the Schnee Dust Company’s top executives housed there, to direct the operations across the globe. Mister Sands may think that something violent should occur to ‘seize the means of production’, but I disagree with such a stance. To me, Atlas and Mantle are but two sides of the same coin, a Kingdom that is divided only by height and the perceived difference between those two places. Do not take that as me saying that I have a preference for Atlas over Mantle, I simply can see the Kingdom as it is.”

He nodded, and it was to Butter next to answer.

“Yeah, I eh… I support Mister Schnee in his words. Nicholas is a man of good character, and that’s what he’s always been! I believe in… yeah, that thing, as Mister Sands said! Yeah, Truth over Facts!”

_‘That makes… no sense at all.’_

It wasn’t something that made sense, and he definitely wasn’t called Nicholas Schnee.

“I think personally that Mantle should be represented in the Council. All elected officials from the Council have been born in Atlas, and a man like Mister Arc here cannot be trusted. He hails from a foreign Kingdom, so we must make sure that we keep our loyalties to Atlas and Mantle.”

Robyn Hill added her two cents, to which he stood straighter. His eyes looked at the crowd of people, noticing their reactions.

“If you say so, then it must be so, Miss Hill. If a foreigner can be trusted less than someone who robs transports of goods meant for the military, then let the people vote for the woman they know to be a crook, rather than the man who may be bringing them closer to Atlas.”

The host intervened, selecting another guest from the people.

“Alright, another of the people of Mantle… What’s your question, Miss?”

A woman who was slight of stature got up, a bright orange sweater clashing horribly with her long blue hair, the pin with the Happy Huntress’ logo on it visible in the light. A Robyn Hill supporter, undoubtedly. Something was familiar about the woman though.

“For mister Arc. What are your plans for Mantle after you have been elected?”

That was simple. He could not respond without-

“Allow me to use my Semblance to see whether Mister Arc speaks the truth, so all the people can know it.”

He looked at Robyn Hill, putting a smile on his face. The woman wanted to interfere, it seems… so he’d indulge her.

“But of course, Miss Hill. The people will wish to know that I speak nothing but the truth.”

The woman’s hand grabbed his own and he felt the Semblance buzz somewhat. His Aura stretched out to meet with the woman’s, the older woman shuddering a little at the Aura invading hers.

“Is your name Jaune Arc, of the Kingdom of Vale?”

There was a soft urging inside him to answer, and he smiled as brightly as he could for the cameras. His name was Jaune Arc from Vale, officially.

“That is the name that I’m known by for most of my life and is on the information I supplied for applying for Beacon, yes. My sister might just call me ‘that blonde doofus’, but you’re definitely looking at the one and only Jaune Arc of Vale here.”

It was on his Vale-issued identity card, it was the name that they went by whilst they travelled. It wasn’t a lie.

The green light flashed and Robyn Hill frowned at the truth being spoken.

“That’s not a confirmation, Mister Arc.”

He smiled, as he amped up her Semblance.

“Are you afraid of me?”

The woman frowned, about to answer, but realizing that this was a broadcasted debate. She straightened out, her face set in that ‘I am Robyn Hill and I look probably pretty hot’ look.

“No.”

The light turned red.

“You’re a dangerous man. You will ruin Mantle and Atlas.”

His eyes were cool as he looked into the older woman’s for a while.

“Maybe. All I want is the people of this world to live happily, to know that they’ve got a future beyond dying for a hopeless cause.”

The light flashed green. It was _a_ truth, as the Semblance activated for him. It was a simple thing. If someone asked a question, it deserved a reply, and Robyn Hill’s Semblance worked to provide truth.

He did not let his eyes stray from her at all, the look on her face one of challenge.

“The people of Mantle, the people of Atlas… The people of this whole world deserve to be safe. If I can make the world a little safer by being in office as a Councillor for Atlas, I will do so.”

It had never been about the power that came with the position. The world would continue to turn, and he knew the burden on his shoulders well. His family…

“A question for Miss Hill, from the audience.”

The host made them return to their lecterns, a woman getting up from the audience, wearing a set of thick glasses, dark blue hair loosely tied within a ponytail.

“About the wall… You wanted to give Mantle the Wall, but candidate Arc has managed to get the support from the SDC and actually managed to get the hole fixed and reinforcements laid for the whole wall. What are your plans for policy? What will you do to represent the people of Mantle?”

Robyn’s face was warm with that political smile, as she started to talk about the incentives that she was trying to give to Mantle, as well as her expertise in Grimm hunting.

“- with the Happy Huntresses, to make sure that the Wall is as safe as it can be.”

He scoffed a little. That wouldn’t be something that would be easily achievable with the size of the Happy Huntresses. Six or so members, or something like that, could not patrol a wall that size.

“You would need to ask for the military’s assistance, Miss Hill. I am sure that General Ironwood will be able to lend a few of his robotic soldiers to aid in defending the Kingdom. He is a sensible man.”

A man who hated his guts for daring to steal away the Winter Maiden’s powers, but someone who could see sense, he guessed. Sense enough to let the people of Atlas know that there would be a guarding military ready to defend them.

“He may be, but his oppressive behaviour is not to the good of Mantle, Mister Arc. But you would know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

He didn’t like where this line of questioning was going to. Robyn looked like she wanted something to bite into, as his eyes looked at her.

“I am trying to keep the people safe, Miss Hill. I do not know what you are insinuating.”

She turned to face him, pointing a finger at him.

“It sounds awfully convenient that you just so happened to be at a crime scene where a mother and her daughter were murdered, Mister Arc. Mantle does not need a murderer in her political body.”

The frozen hail continued to batter his heart as he straightened out. His eyes looked into Robyn Hill’s, as she looked defiant, ready to do what she had to in order to win her power. The slander, the insinuation, the accusation…

“I do not like your accusation that I murdered a mother and a child, Miss Hill. I was not in Mantle last night. If you would like me to drum up witnesses that can confirm that I was not there, I would not mind doing so, but your accusations of such a thing at this time, are wrong.”

Joe Butter spoke up, his face making one of those happy smiles where his mouth was half-open and the slicked-back hair made his head look rather skull-like.

“I’m with Nicholas on that! He’s a man of good character, and- and you know, that thing. Truth before the facts, Miss Hill!”

Her eyes were dark and moody as she looked at him, the glint in them dark and angry.

“You were still implicated. Mantle does not need a murderer to represent it!”

The woman was getting heated, as she marched over to him, poking his chest.

“Neither do the Happy Huntresses need the daughter of the former White Fang’s leader, a girl who was responsible for the death of hundreds of SDC workers through her actions to ‘liberate the Faunus’, to supply your people with information for ‘the revolution’, Miss Hill. If we’re talking about _representation_ , you’re a thief, a liar and you consort with terrorists. Do the people deserve a murderer, or a crooked Hill, Miss Hill?”

He was exaggerating a little. Nothing what he’d said was untrue. Blake had been a part of the White Fang, the White Fang had been responsible for death and murder, and Robyn Hill could not deny it, unless she wished to lose the support of her own faction.

_‘Ideology is something that can both aid as well as harm…’_

It was a dangerous game, he knew. The people needed someone to support them, to bring them to the truth of the world that had been created. The frost within his soul continued to build as he felt the looks of the people on him, directed to Robyn Hill once more.

“They deserve someone who will fight for them! The wall was built, thanks to your murder of Jacques Schnee!”

There was a hushed silence, and he wondered how the woman knew. That was information that wasn’t even known to Atlas, he guessed, so it was perhaps just a loose guess.

“Let me shake your hand, so people can know whether I am a murderer.”

He walked over to Robyn and held out his hand. The woman took it again, looking into his eyes with a challenging look.

“Did you kill Jacques Schnee in order to force an election to seize power?”

The Semblance would be able to tell whether he was lying, as he looked into the angry eyes of the woman. Camera’s snapped pictures, as he opened his mouth. This would be in the news in the morning, if it wasn’t already.

“No.”

The Semblance flickered red, the challenging grin on her face, as she seemed convinced of the truth. That was probably the trick that she was using.

“Why would I kill a man for an _election_? The people are more important than a mere Jacques Schnee. I did not kill the man, even though I dated his daughter.”

The colour turned green for an instant, and he could feel her working to suppress the effect. He amped up the Semblance and her whole body lit up green. That was the trick to making it work, really. His Aura Amplification skill could be used creatively.

“You’re… telling the truth? But-“

His eyes narrowed at her, his hand releasing her. His Aura glowed for a moment as the amping effect stopped, his eyes looking into her own.

“It’s not a crime to love someone, unless I am mistaken about loving a woman who does her best for Atlas as a Kingdom.”

The face of the woman darkened, as she turned away from him, as he walked back to the lectern.

“Foah da socialisht revolushon! Woikahs of Mantle, unite! Free healthcare foah da woikahs of Mantle!”

Bernard Sands seemed to give a speech without really meaning to, as Joe Butter wandered off, just staring into the distance after stopping.

_‘Well… This batch of people seems to be nuts…’_

He couldn’t deny that in the slightest.

* * *

“That’s just so fake! Look at his face!”

Jaune looked dashing on the screen as her mother shifted a little, her eyes looking at the election debate, watching as the camera focused on Jaune. After the shock of earlier, she could only watch. Oscar and Ruby were sat together, the latter leaning against her new boyfriend’s side. The smile on Ruby’s face was at odds with the serious look on Oscar’s face.

“He’s at least _trying_ , Blake. You can’t deny that he spoke the truth.”

Their Faunus representative looked a little irritated as he’d said that about her past, trying to dodge the question of it being true.

“They were the bad people, and it’s in the past. I’m _better_ now.”

The Faunus girl said that, but Weiss didn’t do anything to dissuade her from that, as Ruby tried to shush the argument that was about to erupt.

“You left me, Blake. You’re my friend, a girl I’m very close to, but you went to her without even consulting us. That’s still not cool, and Jaune seems to be doing… well, whatever he can. Can you do a better job?”

Blake looked like she wanted to say something that would confirm that or not, but she kept her silence.

“He could help the people of Mantle. The Happy Huntresses are working with Cinder, and… and I- If I was on stage, I would talk about the Faunus and how we are oppressed.”

Her voice was a little shrill as she spoke, as Yang gave her partner a look that wasn’t too certain.

“The plight of the Faunus is something that doesn’t leave me unmoved, but you probably would not achieve the same effect as Mister Arc has, Miss Belladonna.”

The words were something that shouldn’t be coming from Oscar’s mouth, but it was effective, as Blake shut up immediately.

“He has that young male charm, the strong figure of someone who is able to take the lead and looks much like the General when he was first made Headmaster of Atlas Academy. In comparison, you have the benefit of being a Faunus, which would only win you the Faunus vote, if it came down to it.”

Her mother’s calm voice cut through the tensions, as the candidates for the Council seat started on their small speeches, bringing their words out to the undecided voting bases.

“That would not be enough, Miss Belladonna. You are the daughter of the former High Leader of the White Fang, a terrorist organization which has blown up three of Mantle’s mines during my husband’s tenure. There will be anti-White Fang sentiments, at the very least, mingling with you. Mister Arc enjoys a sterling reputation, as far as Mantle is concerned. We are not the people of Vale, Miss Belladonna. We are Mantle, and we do not break.”

The look on her mother’s face held pride and an almost vindictive smile, though her mother was polite enough to not let it show fully to the Faunus girl. The look on Blake’s face was hesitant and doubtful.

“It is as Miss Schnee says. The Faunus of Mantle were historically united under the Schnee Dust Company’s employment, and whilst the current-day has been dire, there are still those who can see the benefit of voting as the SDC’s CEO has. What exactly has led you to support Mister Arc, Miss Schnee?”

Her mother’s smile was tired as she glanced at the screen, her eyes closing for a moment, as her mother’s hand grabbed her own.

“He represents something that my father once spoke to me about. Hope for the future, hope for _a_ future without a tyrannical king lording over us. You are young, so you do not know what it is like to be below the boot of a tyrant, but my father’s youth was spent post-Great War with building the company. A country which is divided, cannot stand. We hold the license to build in Mantle, as granted by the Council, and thus we can do things for the people, to wash away the stain of my late husband.”

Oscar seemed to think about that for a moment, his hand brushing over the Relic, which he’d still not let out of his sight, a good job done in keeping it secure, perhaps out of the gain that could be obtained from the use of the Relic.

“A reasonable assumption. He is young, yet he has that charisma.”

A smile on her mother’s lips, as she brushed her fingers through her hair, the glass of fruit juice at her side raised to her lips.

“Much like the King of Vale during the Great War. I have seen the drama, it was quite fetching. I do wonder if he is related to that man…”

Oscar shook his head, as if that possibility was impossible, the boy looking much older than before.

“He’s got to have come from somewhere. Didn’t he say that he knew Mantle pretty well?”

Blake was the one to say that, and she was right. He’d said that his family was from Mantle originally, so that might mean that they were using a different name.

“It’s hard to guess. There are many people who moved from Solitas to Anima and vice-versa. Finding one Arc in that haystack is going to be tough, and we don’t even know his name.”

A small smile on Weiss her lips, her gaze at the Relic. They still had one question with the spirit housed in it, knowing that it would be useful to keep it in reserve, at the least.

“Let’s talk about that after the debate.”

She interjected. She wanted to get Ruby alone for a moment, to talk. As the candidates did their closing arguments as to why they should get the vote, Joe Butter endorsed ‘Nicholas Schnee’ for King, the man’s eyes a little dopey, whilst Mister Sands waved his fist, talking about ‘da socialisht woikah’s powah!’, Robyn Hill’s calm address to vote for her, and Jaune’s quiet in comparison ‘If you think you are represented by a revolutionary, someone who mistakes me for my ex-girlfriend’s grandfather or a thief, at least you have a fourth option in me. I promise to do whatever I must to keep Mantle and Atlas safe. Mantle does not break. Mantle does not crack. Atlas will not fall, as long as I am here.’.

“That’s… That’s… very strong language. Whoever coached him on the speech has got to be involved with the Mantle First movement. The government under Czar Romanov was something that proposed the creed of Mantle First, so perhaps one of the Royalists…”

Oscar did not seem to be aware of how he was talking, or Blake’s look of surprise, as the young man rubbed his chin.

“Do you think he’s a Romanov?”

Her mother asked, and Weiss wondered about that, Oscar shaking his head.

“Those had dark hair and deep brown eyes, maybe golden. The Czarina had golden eyes, but the Czar used to have brown eyes, as… Hmm… Maybe a minister who fled after the Great War? The revolution did not leave many of the government intact.”

There was a questioning look on the face of the others, the young farmboy looking like he tried to come up with a good explanation.

“Cinder was called Romanov by Robyn…”

The look on Oscar’s face changed as Blake admitted that, a dirty expression on his face, as anger showed.

“That would explain _why_ she would be helped. There are still people who believe in the glory of Mantle, especially those who could never stomach the fact that the Ice Witch was defeated.”

The look of distaste on the young teen’s face was real, the mention of the great general making her look at the features of Jaune for a moment. The shade of the skin was all wrong, but the strength within those eyes was something that was shared. If they were just the shade of piercing dark blue, they might look like that, but…

_‘That’s impossible, she was found dead in the Great War, she ended her own life.’_

That couldn’t be true.

“One of them has… the thing.”

Ruby said, and she looked at Oscar, who nodded.

“Indeed.”

Her mother got up after the debate was officially finished, shaking her head lightly at the five of them, Whitley having gotten up with her.

“I will retire to bed, children. I expect you to remain in your _own_ rooms. Whitley, come along. I will quiz you on your homework. It’s already ten at night.”

“So… I had this thought. If you’ll let me speak, Ruby.”

She had dragged her bestie with her to her room, for a bit of a talk. Ruby’s eyes were quiet, as she looked with a hint of something. Those eyes looked so trusting, so confident that the others knew what to do just as well as she did.

“Yes? It’s not about the election, is it?”

She shook her head. It was about Oscar and how he was acting.

“Are you… okay, with Oscar? He’s… he’s not sounding like he’s Oscar, and-“

Ruby looked at her with a hurt look. That wasn’t good, and she knew it. Ruby was opinionated in her own way, and Weiss knew that she’d made a mistake.

“He’s… he’s dealing with stuff too, just like I am. You don’t know what it’s like, Weiss. You don’t have to plan stuff, do the team composition forms and stuff, you can just… And he’s just trying to make use of the memories that he has. He knows things that even I don’t know! Don’t- Don’t say that he’s acting weird, you’re all acting weird!”

Ruby was louder, as she looked hurt.

“Jaune killed an old lady, Winter isn’t the Winter Maiden now, the General has been acting all weird, and Blake left us for a bit, so what does it matter? I like him! He’s like me, forced to deal with stuff. When he talks to me, it’s like I’m being heard, like- like he gets me.”

Her expression was pleading, Ruby’s voice sounding convinced. Weiss let her gaze drop down, as she sighed deeply.

“I was just concerned… He’s… I mean, I didn’t study _politics_ , but that’s a lot of information that he pulled out of nowhere and I’m just concerned- You’re my best friend.”

Ruby smiled, looking like she usually did. It was a relief, she supposed. Her friend was still her friend.

“You’re my BFF, Weiss. That doesn’t change, even if I like a boy.”

_‘How much of that like is just him preying on you, Ruby?’_

She didn’t voice her thoughts as she hugged her friend, the warmth of the cloak making her feel better, as she heard Ruby give a soft little happy sigh.

“Sorry, I’m… He’s been there, and it all feels so distant. I’ll… I’ll talk to him, and see whether we can do something.”

Weiss Schnee smiled and knew that she would have to do what she had to in order for them all to survive.

She’d have to steal the Relic of Knowledge and ask the final question.

* * *

Jaune adjusted the cloak a little, his eyes falling onto the crowd of people that waited for him, his staff members smiling at him, Dirk Pope offering him a large can of soda, which he accepted. It was after the debate and Hill had slinked off like the thief that she was, already waiting for something else to rob, undoubtedly.

“We’ll see the preliminary ratings pop up soon, kid. You did great in that debate, challenging Hill and remaining truthful. That whole glowing of her body was just amazing, I didn’t know she could do that.”

It had been his Semblance amplifying hers, of course. That was one thing that he could do, aside from boosting the regenerative effect of his Semblance.

“Go back to the office, kid. I’ve… yeah, I’ve heard that there’s someone there who’s going to give you a big surprise. A lady you fancy, or so I heard.”

Dirk Pope looked as steady as he came, but there was something in his eyes, a hint of something that only seemed to heighten Jaune’s suspicion, the feeling that something was off.

“Of course. Can I have the key?”

The man’s smile looked a little forced. That wasn’t a big clue, but it made him feel suspicious.

“There’s… well, they’ve got the key to the office.”

Callie looked surprised as she spoke up suddenly.

“But you said that we could go home tonight, if the big boss is getting someone to give him a present, don’t you think we should’ve known about it? I’ve still got a bottle of booze in the desk for celebration!”

The man’s head turned away and there was an embarrassed cough coming from the man.

“She’s a _big_ fan of yours, Arc. She’s said that she’ll pledge her support, and my girlfriend’s- Well, that doesn’t matter.”

There was a spark of fear in the man’s eyes, something that was uncharacteristic, something that made him think about it.

“I’ll walk. It’s good to let my head cool a little.”

The man looked nervous, but didn’t raise the fuss, as Callie started to talk about him having a great night, and to keep the lady ‘well-satisfied’, with a little smile and a wink sent to him. He wasn’t sure whether that would be the best option, but he knew that it could be Cinder, or someone like her.

_‘Nobody else will die.’_

He’d broken his promise. He’d broken his promise to himself, and an Arc did not break their promise. A Von Arcadia… did not break their word.

“Hello, Jaune.”

The first thing he noticed about her voice was that it was lighter than before, that there was a wistful tone to it that seemed to lure his thoughts out, like a dark cloud that was pulled from him, looking up and expecting to see Winter Schnee, Specialist of the Atlas Military standing there.

Dark hair and fierce blue eyes met his own, her hair as black as her eyebrows. His fingers let go of the blade that he’d subconsciously kept a grip on, aware that an enemy could come from any side, at any time.

She was wearing the outfit that she’d worn during her time out with him, when they’d gone dancing. A small smile on her lips that made him feel warmth and heat inside his heart, the pleasure that he got from the feeling of seeing her standing there, her body not dressed up like the trade she’d learned.

“I’m… I’ve heard, Jaune.”

She looked at him, and her arms wrapped around him, her dark hair giving her a different look, loose as it was. It was everything that Winter Schnee did not look like. The public image of a prim and proper specialist, someone who would not stray one inch from regulations, was not this woman who was at his side. She smelled like cinnamon and lemon, something in her scent from shampoo, as well as a light perfume.

“She… she was just-“

He couldn’t say it. She’d known, somehow, that his heart could not belong to her. The fantasy of having a family, of having a warm home to return to, where he could live out his days, had crumbled by the harshness of life.

The frozen heart inside his chest was battered by hailstones, as he felt the cold of Mantle seep into him. She was walking with him, following him, her hand grabbing his own. It was so warm, even though he felt so cold on the inside. Power…

It all came down to power and one woman’s thirst for it. His Scroll beeped, and he answered it.

“Do you have her location?”

The man on the other end was silent for a moment, before a cool utterance of a single word came: ‘Yes.’ His heart froze over again, as Winter quieted. She was aware of the call’s importance, from his serious demeanour alone. Her hand held his, as he heard Arthur Watts list the latest location, and the people within the room that the cameras had caught.

_‘So, she kidnapped Mister Pope’s girlfriend…’_

He could do something for the people… even if he had to kill Cinder whilst fighting her. She would never get the Winter Maiden’s powers.

“Thank you.”

He shut the call off without another word, turning to Winter, who had been silent.

“You’re going to fight her, aren’t you? Cinder.”

The question wasn’t spoken loudly, as he nodded. They would have about fifty minutes until they reached the office with the pace that they walked at, her expression serious. She was older than him by five or six years, but that mattered little.

“I’ll help. If- if you want me to.”

The offer was kind, the offer was sweet, but he couldn’t drag her down with him, he couldn’t let her suffer as he knew that she would.

“You shouldn’t-“

A Glyph appeared in front of him and he was repelled against a wall, and her hand grabbed his breastplate and pulled herself close to him.

“I should. My father was a proud man, a man who had his faults but didn’t stop to care for the people of Mantle. You did it for me, and now, I’ll stand with you. I’m-…”

Her lips pressed against his in a kiss, something that made her pull even closer as she nearly climbed up against him, her smaller and lithe form pressed against his own. Her eyes met with his own, as tears came from them.

“Why can’t you see that I love you, Jaune Arc? I’m…”

Her voice halted, as she looked in his eyes with that expression of hope and despair that mingled together.

“I’m…. I’m in love with you, and I want to _be_ with you. I know that- I know that you were with my- with Weiss, and that you were happy, for just a little bit. You were _happy_ , and I am glad to know that you were still- still _are_ able to love. I’m choosing _you_ , not the military, I’m doing just what my father would have done…” 

He grimaced a little, as he sighed. Jacques Schnee was not someone who she should emulate, of course.

“Your mother wouldn’t want you to emulate your father, Winter. Jacques Schnee was an ass-“

Her eyes locked with his own, as she fixed him with that strangely sexy Schnee stare. Her lips pressed against his own, and time seemed to slow down to a crawl. Her mother held passion with a hint of melancholy, Weiss was like an exciting ride on some sort of runaway vehicle and Winter was just pure passion, as her lips pressed against his own.

“Jaune…”

She pulled away, the weapons at her side clinking lightly against his armour, as she kissed him again, this time on the cheek.

“You’re someone who made me _live_ , Jaune. I fell in love with you, even if you don’t believe me.”

Her eyes leaked tears, slowly crystallizing in the chill of Mantle, the frozen liquid dripping onto the jacket that she wore, a woman, rather than a Specialist.

“I know that it’s hard, but… Will you let me help you, Jaune? If she’s hunting you, I can help. I _want_ to help, and it’s not about the Maiden powers or something like that, but about _you_.”

His expression he couldn’t see, but the storm in his heart quieted for a moment, as warmth flooded him.

“Even if I’m not on the side of the General?”

Her eyes looked into his own, her features set in the way that Weiss could also look when she was being stubborn.

“He’s _not_ the man I like. He’s- he was my superior officer, a man who I respected, before… Before he started to grow more paranoid. You’re… You’re the man I _love._ A family- I-“

She looked away and his arm wrapped around her, as they walked slowly down the streets, an armoured man with his arm around a woman, the snowfall slowly increasing around the two of them.

“My… No, you deserve the truth, I’m-“

A soft sigh, and he made a decision. It was trust, and he’d trust love. If she loved him, then… well…

_‘What do I have left to lose? Casey is dead, my team is dead…’_

“My name… My name is Jaune Amadeus Von Arcadia.”

He whispered it in her ear in a quiet whisper, Winter stiffening a little, as he did as well, their pace stopped, her eyes looking up at him with a look that was empathic, human and understanding.

“I don’t… you know? The name isn’t-“

_‘Okay. Accepted. We would be blamed for the actions of the woman who bore the family into the world.’_

Winter nodded quietly, her face showing an understanding, a love within her eyes that was hard to banish. Love hit you like a thunderstorm, like a lightning strike.

“That… that _doesn’t_ matter to me. I was _afraid_ , Jaune. I was afraid that you’d… what you did with Fria, what- what it must’ve cost you…”

One of the drones of the military passed by the alley through which they were walking, and she quieted down immediately. They had been sticking to the back roads, the places where the General didn’t often patrol.

“Everything. Everything I’ve done was for you, and for the people of this place. The General thinks that he can use his army to fight against the enemies of Atlas, but he is blind to the truth.”

A quiet, deep hum from her, as she seemed to accept that. It wasn’t faked, he knew. It was not faked at all, not with how close he was to her. He knew how to see the world as it was, how cruel people could be. He had always held his parents high as authorities on what it was to be an adult, but it was a cruel world that he lived in, which he’d found out through the loss of his friends and the one who’d had died, because he’d lied.

“I’ll stand with you, Jaune. It isn’t about the sex. It isn’t about the loyalty to the military that I had, it’s… It’s treasonous, it’s against what the General wills, but I know that my heart will not forgive me if I don’t make this choice now. I’m…”

She looked at him and a smile came on her lips.

“I’m not giving up on love. There are things more important than the General, more important than some power. You were willing to kill for me, and… and I’m willing to kill for you. It’s silly, I know, and many people would call me a traitor, but I will not stand aside as the man I love strides into the dangerous waters of death and politics.”

He was aware of the world around him, her eyes looking at him with a pleading look, and he looked away.

“I slept with your mother… and your sister, this morning.”

Her eyes looked down, before she gave a soft laugh. Her eyes met with his own, as she reached out and kissed him again.

“Then I would say you’ve _earned_ yourself a Schnee. You _lucky_ bastard…”

It was a bittersweet smile on her lips, as she brushed her hands through her lustrous black hair, the look in her eyes dark and mournful, as if something heavy weighed on her shoulders.

“My…”

She halted, voice cutting off immediately, glancing down at the ground. She looked hesitant, her eyes glinting with that burning hint of more words to come, her eyes peering into his own.

“I’ve not been very honest to you either, Jaune. I should’ve told you when things got serious, when- When I started to feel that feeling of love, I should- not even the general knows, but…”

Her eyes looked at him, a watery smile on her lips as the tears came from her eyes. She looked fragile, young, a little bit like Weiss when she was deeply emotional, as she looked up at Atlas, floating above them. Her voice was very quiet, as she spoke.

“I was born Winter Anastasia Romanov…”

A deep sigh, as she looked at him with her eyes looking up, as the Schnee Glyph appeared on her palm. That name belonged to the family of the previous king of Mantle, though the informal Mantlean title of ‘Kaiser’ was much more prevalent these days.

“and Nicholas Schnee is my father, who got intimate with his secretary, my mother. It was to be kept a secret, because the family is not well-liked amongst the people of upper Atlas, and- And I _love_ you. You’re a Von Arcadia, and- and I want to let you know that any title I have, I’ll throw it all away for you. Who needs to be a queen when they can be with a man who would be the king of her heart?”

She was an illegitimate child. A bastard child, someone who Nicholas Schnee had adopted into the family after he had a fling with his secretary.

_‘That’s bad…’_

Her eyes looked with fear and surprise for an instant before he pulled her closer.

“You’re just Winter Schnee to me. Your mother is warm, your sister is cute. You’re just Whitley’s big sister, because that’s all that matters. So what? I’m the grandson of the Ice Witch.”

He remembered Casey and Nicta, he remembered the feeling of Willow at that first meeting at the party, Weiss and her odd manner of sexual thirst, and the burning feeling inside him that threatened to explode.

“I’m…Jaune, I’m-”

She was crying, and that wasn’t a good thing. A smile was on his lips, as he leaned close and kissed her on the lips. The cold storm in his heart started to thaw, his gaze locked with her eyes for a nearly impossibly long moment.

“You’re _my_ Winter.”

An arm wrapped around her and pulled her close, her head laying against his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, just letting the snow drift down onto them, her hair sprinkled with white.

_‘Cinder… I’ll make you suffer.’_

They moved after a few moments of staring into each other's eyes, her face lighter with the smile that emerged on it, as there was a new dedication within them.

The frozen storm in his heart quieted a little, as he could smell her scent, her body pressed against him.

“What happened to your mother?”

Winter’s sad expression didn’t stop, her eyes glinting in the faint light of the illumination, the neon signs illuminating her.

“Death in childbirth, or so my moth- _sister_ said. My younger sister was brought up by mother’s husband, a man who remarried, his next wife bringing her two daughters with her. They were found murdered, nearly nine years ago, my sister claimed in the fires… Only ashes and cinders were left of the house. Her name was Ella Romanov.”

He didn’t know why, but Cinder’s face came to his mind’s eye for a moment, if she’d gotten a little more of a tan… or it might just have been the Schnee features showing through more than the Romanov ones.

Did it really _matter_?

“My mother… heh. She absolutely _hates_ being called a vampire. She’s an albino, as was her twin sister. Dad said that aunt Salome was one of those people who could tear you down with words, whilst mom was… hmm… _fierce_ , I think he said. Here, a bit of information about the people you're going to have to impress, if we're going to introduce you.”

Winter smiled, her hand in his own, warm and comforting. He felt the pulse rise slowly, her eyes glinting with that hint of things yet to come. She was here, she was… she was still here. He should go to the office, to see what waited for him there, the woman who had caused so much pain to him there to await her judgment.

“Since you are ready to fight… Are you joining me in the fight against Cinder Fall?”

She nodded, her expression more than enough, as the frozen storm inside him picked up, his Aura pushing through her. She shivered a little as his Aura boosted hers.

“I _did_ graduate from the Huntsman Academy of Atlas, Mister Arc… You may find that I know a few tricks that you do not.”

Her smile warmed him, as the face of Nora appeared in front of him, smiling at him, the pain surging once more. He had given Arthur Watts an ultimatum. The man would obey, of course.

“Then I guess we’ll come to face down an evil witch together. Mother is just going to _love_ you, if you’re willing to come with me, once things settle down.”

He was a sinner, a criminal and a murderer. A beast who had slain people, who had grasped the teat of power and milked it for all its worth. He was a man who had declared that the people would be safe.

She kissed him again, her arms wrapping around his neck, her body pressed tightly to his own, her eyes looking at him.

“Jaune, I…”

She looked tenderly at him, and he knew that Winter was doubting, questioning. He kissed her again, his lips pressed against her own. They were going to kill a bitch.

Winter’s hand was in his own, even as they neared the building, the building exploding in a shower of flame and mortar, a low rumbling sound, as it collapsed in front of them. People screamed and shouted at the sudden collapse.

_‘What the fuck?’_

* * *

**Another chapter done… and well, people can guess that something went and blew up. No Elsa reference though. Sorry for being long-winded in my fics. I'm currently dealing with a chest infection.**

**I do have a conscience, though. One of my most frequent thoughts is 'isn't this a bit too dark?'. It makes me feel like a pretty bad person at times with some of the things that I write.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like to.**


	22. A small party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora, a lot of Jaune and Weiss doing a heist. Enjoy!

**This is a fictional story. No celebrities were harmed during the making of this production.**

* * *

“Wheeeeeee!”

This was amazing! This was more than amazing, and it was great! Ooh, how great did it feel, she was _burning_!

The power inside her was like a heated burning blaze as she felt it fill her, the look on her face shifting between excitement and exultation. A jolt of high-power energy shot through her, with the power inside her channeling it straight through her muscles. She felt like she could take on the world, slam Atlas straight into the stratosphere!

She felt so warm, it was so hot, it was-

“Nora, we need to focus. We still need to get out of here, and Miss Curry needs to be ‘rescued’.”

The power inside her burned as Ren spoke up, the headless body that laid there definitely the only reminder of what had been a very brief battle. It had been an ambush, more akin to something out of the stories of the past of Mistral.

She settled down on the ground, aware of the two parents to the glorious leader that she followed. She could feel the burning inside her never cease as the energy burned within her.

“We should go. Liebchen? Have the charges been set?”

The body that had been impaled against the wall was something that would have to remain, the sheep Faunus having been the first opponent that they'd taken out before the two Von Arcadia’s had gone in for the kill. There was no time for distractions right now. The Sheep faunus was slung over Jaune's father's shoulders, unconscious due to Mjollnir's hit on the back of her head.

“Of course. This is just a little step to getting him ready for what he must do. Have you contacted the others?”

The small nod from the man made the woman look entirely too smug, the head in her hands held up, the golden eyes peering angrily at her.

“Not so much talk now, are you? Aww, poor little Romanov, you didn’t think that we’d let you go… You screamed so loudly when I told you that it was all her plan to blame your family for the War… aww, widdle Cindy, all dead now. Never a queen...”

The head didn’t respond to the woman. Nora wondered whether people had discovered Tyrian’s head yet or not, but that wasn’t really a very great issue right now to be concerned about. They had killed Cinder and Jaune would not be hurt by the woman again.

“You need to learn how to control the power, girl.”

The look from the pale-skinned woman was strict, and Nora slowly settled down, forcing herself to calm down. The woman had collapsed the ceiling on top of Cinder, allowing for the surprise attack to succeed.

“So, eh… What do you want me to do? Like, don’t I need to use it? I’m not like, ‘oh my gods, I’m a magic girl!’ right now, but this is just like having thirty shots of coffee!”

Ren looked tired, she saw that. He shouldn’t feel that tired, because he was her partner, lover and boyfriend. They’d just have to find Jaune and make this into something that’s a very good tight friendship.

“Focus. Breathe in. Breathe out. Raise your hand.”

Rosa Arc, Jaune’s youngest sister out of seven older sisters, spoke in her soft whispering tone, the throat that looked raw still showing the scar of where it had been cut once, in an incident that the young woman hadn’t spoken of at all. Nora could see that the woman mimicked it.

A glow on her palm, as a single ice crystal appeared, before it was consumed into a flame and melted.

“Focus. Breathe. Pull and push.”

The power within her burned like a hot flame as she tried to imagine making an ice-crystal, a spike of ice appearing between her hands, impaling the ground. Jaune’s mother snorted a little at the sight, shaking her head, as Rosa Arc gave a soft shake of the head.

“I said _focus_. Push and pull. Make it into a shape and then grab.”

Jaune’s father adjusted something on the wall, next to the body of Marigold. A Dust-based explosive, the three crystals looking like they’d been primed already. The Sheep faunus was jostled a little, the man not really caring too much about the safety of the woman. She was another bargaining chip.

“Rosa, we need to go. We’re not leaving any trace of us having been here. We’re going to lay low for twelve hours and then make our way to Atlas city. The second safe house has already been paid for through deposit.”

The man spoke up, his eyes glinting in the darkness. Nora thought that he looked rather dashing, the man’s wife smiling at her man, the tongue sliding over her lips.

“Make it eighteen hours. You were _magnificent_. Allow little Nora to accommodate to the power of the Maiden for a moment, and then we’ll find our son... well, I will send a message. He will undoubtedly have many questions… But that’s when we get in to complete the mission, don’t we?”

The man smiled at his wife, and Nora supposed that it would be a bit more time in-between them meeting Jaune and his parents doing what they had to do.

“A pity we couldn’t get Hill with this, but she’s not going to be ambushing her main political rival… Too much danger.”

Nora could see that.

It was just a little while longer.

The power inside her continued to burn as if she’d swallowed a hundred cups of coffee. This was _great_!

* * *

They reached the building in no time at all, the people starting to gather, as firefighters started to gather and help extinguish the fires that still came, his eyes looking forlornly at the building, aware that something had happened that had blown it up, something that had undoubtedly killed more people, all because of him.

“Mister Arc?”

Someone spoke up and he looked at the woman who wore the clip of MNN on her cheek, the cameraman behind her looking like he’d rather be everywhere else but here. How the people had gotten here so fast was beyond him, and he wondered whether this was all a setup. Winter stayed behind, mingling with the people of the crowd. She was still a military official, so she would need to blend in a little.

“Yes?”

The firefighters continued with their work, as the cameraman made a gesture with his hands for the reporter.

“An explosion has rocked the building in which your campaign office was housed, and we from Mantle News Network would like to know whether you have any ideas as to how this tragedy could have happened? Luckily, nobody seems to have been in the building. Do you believe this to be an attempt on your life, or just random happenstance?”

He looked between the burning building and the reporter slowly. The world felt numb, knowing that he’d lost the things that he’d cared for in the world, the chill of the night, of that frozen despair and hate still in him. This had undoubtedly been Cinder’s work, undoubtedly something to make him feel the pain of losing yet more people.

_‘Casey… I’m sorry.’_

He was sure that she’d want him to be happy. Her daughter had deserved better.

His Scroll rang, and he looked at the reporter for a moment, taking the Scroll call as he was still interviewed.

“Mister Arc? Thank you for what you did.”

His campaign manager spoke and Jaune realized that the man was speaking with gratitude, as if he’d done something that was worthy of respect, but the ruins of the building didn’t fill him with a great sense of comfort. It filled him with a feeling of discomfort, rather.

“No, no problem. The building blew up, and… Is everyone alright? Nobody was there, were they?”

The public face of a politician had to show concern, he knew, but the worry inside him did not stop for one bit. The man was a vulnerable one with his partner in the clutches of Cinder, but he had to know.

“No, we weren’t… Your friend Arthur called, he said something about things being arranged.”

_‘Watts called…’_

That was a relief, he supposed. There was enough to worry about with the political situation in Atlas, with Ironwood being silent for the longest of times, Winter’s defection from the Atlas Military (which he still wasn’t sure about), and the other things.

“He told me to tell you not to worry. Mariah called and she said that she was safe.”

That was worrisome in its own respect. The man had been silent thus far, and he didn’t trust the man at all, but it was not the time to be doing something like that. The Scroll was shut off and he looked at the reporter, putting that hesitant smile on his face. It was more genuine than before, because he was hesitant.

“It may be a Dust generator overloading and causing a chain reaction, it is too early to say. I am not sure whether my office will be intact or not, but I’ve got good hopes that nobody was present in the building. If they were… then I can only hope for them to have survived.”

The firefighters were calling out for a stretcher, and Jaune could see how they were making headway into the rubble, the water that they were using to douse the burning building coming mostly from a Water Dust core installed in the vehicle that they had arrived in, and he watched them for a moment, before he turned to the reporter once again.

“I hope that this was not an attempt by my political opponents in order to eliminate my running for the office of Councilman of Atlas. These times are dark, the people need a spark of hope. Once united, humanity can pose a serious threat against the Grimm, because we are all people who wish to see the world be full of happiness and joy.”

Words that were idealistic in nature, that held the hopes from him about the future, about what the world would be like when there was no more danger from the Grimm, from the people who worked behind the scenes to ensure that there would be an eternal war of good versus evil.

“Hopeful words, Mister Arc. I wish you good luck with your election. Harold, we should go and see whether we can interview more people.”

There was no suspicion of him, and he liked it like that. He spotted Winter, standing amongst the crowd, her face looking at the burning building like she was watching history burn. He could smell charred things, the smell of meat burning in his nostrils again, aware of the pain that coursed through him.

“Hey, Jaune? Get your silly little butt with me, quietly. We need to have a chat.”

The voice of his older sister, the smell of the oil that she usually rubbed on her skin to stop the chafing, and the brief warmth that wrapped around him as the frozen feeling inside him seemed to fade, the blue eyes and the blue hair invading his eyes. She'd been in the room during the Debate, she'd been someone he'd remembered asking a question.

“What are you doing _here_?”

The straight blade was somewhere on her person, he knew, but Saphron had never really shown him the trick as to how she hid it. His older sister looked accusingly at him, as she tugged on his arm. People weren’t watching him, he knew. The body that was being pulled out of the ruins of the building was enough for him, knowing that he should probably beat a quick retreat. That was one dead Happy Huntress. The big tall one that he’d slammed through a counter.

_‘Undoubtedly working together with Cinder…’_

He caught Winter looking at him and he motioned with his head for her to come over, the woman moving with the grace of a Schnee, even if her birth name had been Romanov. It mattered not, when she joined them and his older sister gave her a look-over. Saphron smiled coyly.

“Girlfriend? We should go for a drink together, something nice and warm. This place is _cold_.”

He knew that there was no refusing Saphron when she got a thought in her mind about doing something ‘social’. She was his older sister and he was used being the chew toy of his older sisters.

“Just… Just a friend, right now, Miss.”

Jaune smiled, glancing at Winter.

“I’ll explain later. She’s ah, well, you’d probably go like ‘oh, so it’s like that.’. I’m just glad that it isn’t mom… She’d make a scene. You know how she gets when it’s us bringing home a partner. ‘Nooo, my baby is getting loved!’ and then she’ll start to threaten them with disembowelment for ‘staining her pure little angel!’”

Saphron started to laugh at his imitation of their mother, the blue hair looking very out of place, as she pulled her Scroll out of a pocket, the special version that’d been reinforced against blunt impacts, tapping in a few numbers and unlocking it, raising it up.

“Helloooo… So, I’ve got him. We’ll meet you at the coffee shop in the south… if you aren’t picking up guys.”

That boded ill. Saphron had hinted with those words that more of his sisters were present in Mantle than he’d suspected. If he’d guessed right, that’d mean that at least Saphron had brought several of his sisters.

_‘Oh damn…’_

This was going to be embarrassing.

As they walked towards the coffee shop, Saphron kept on looking at Winter, who was giving her a look of curiosity, yet didn’t speak up loudly. The smirk on Saphron’s face as she leaned over past him and spoke.

“We’re not ex-lovers, if you’re curious about that.”

Trust Saphron to make things awkward. He definitely was not someone who would make love to a sister, nope. That was icky, crude and totally not something he’d planned on. Sisters were off-limits.

“Ah, no, I- How do you know him?”

Saphron’s bold smile that showed her teeth did not inspire much confidence in him, as she leaned closer to Winter, getting in-between Winter and himself. He was aware of the sweater and the jacket that she wore rubbing against the armour, as her arm wrapped around him and she flashed a teasing smile.

“Oh, we’re _current_ lovers. If he’s been lying to you about being single… Truuuuust me, I’ve seen him in much less than what you’ve had. Big boy here’s been a pain in the butt to train to be a good man, but I’ve been doing my best.”

Winter looked at him with a look of betrayal in her eyes, and he groaned loudly.

“She’s my older _sister_. Who has a _wife_ and a _child_. How did you three even get out of Argus?”

His older sister laughed softly, shaking her head lightly.

“You know that Sabrina’s got her piloting license, don’t you?”

_‘That actually makes sense. It’s not like they’d be able to check private aircraft at Argus, since there is a license and a clean record needed…’_

He nodded, and his older sister nudged him in the side, a saucy grin on her lips.

“Now, now… What’s your name, sweetheart? Tell big sister who the girl is that’s giving her big brother touches and kisses.”

The look on Winter’s face was definitely awkward, as she looked a little uncertain.

“Winter Schnee, we’re… Not quite back together, but I’d hope to be together with him again.”

Saphron’s arm wrapped around him and she pulled him a little closer. She had a firm grip.

“Good, good. You’re going to have to face the sisterly inquisition before you get to lay your hands on our little teddy bear! We’ve just got one brother and we’re not going to let him lose his virginity to some loose girl who thinks he’s cool and just wants to- Oh, wait, Schnee? Like the guy that died recently?”

Winter nodded, quietly. Saphron gave that look of ‘I am not sure whether I should believe you’.

“Don’t you guys have white hair? I mean, it’s okay if you dye it, but-“

Winter flushed a little, looking away.

“I’m not… Well, I dye it to look like a proper Schnee. It’s naturally black.”

Saphron nodded, looking at him for a long moment and then nudging him, mouthing a ‘go for it, brother’. That was a hint, he guessed.

“I don’t mind what hair colour you have, Winter.”

She turned her gaze to him, and he could see several people on the street cross, undoubtedly heading towards the flashing lights in the distance as they’d walked, Winter’s cheeks a little red as her sharp blue eyes met his own.

“I can dye it white again, if you want.”

The thought of that wasn’t unappealing, but Winter’s mother- no, her sister, already had the white hair. There was beauty in her looking like a dark beauty.

“No, that’s… that’s not necessary, Winter. I like you just how you are.”

His older sister cooed with a soft ‘awwww, so cute!’ and he gave her a nudge, her face looking as serious as it was whenever she teased him, the deep blue hair colour matching her eyes.

“Hey! I’m still your big sis, now… Have you two kissed? Ooh, I _bet_ you have! She looks like she’s a good kisser!”

This was embarrassing, as Saphron started to gush about how cute his girlfriend blushed. It wasn’t quite that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, but it was a start at least. It was… it was a beginning, from the ashes of what had once been. Ren and Nora were gone. Casey and her daughter Pyrrha were gone.

He had Winter and his sister.

“We have… we have _kissed_ , yes. I’m sorry, I’m-“

Saphron had snuck around him, like she usually did when she wanted to be sneaky. Winter squeaked in an alarmed way, a girlish way that Weiss wouldn’t be able to mimic so easily, as she was grabbed by Saphron, whose hands were definitely prodding and poking at the sensitive bits.

“Oh, kissed… Have you touched _these_ babies, Jaune? Did you squeeze the- ooh, she’s making _nice_ sounds, Jauney. Terra would _love_ to tease her.”

He hoped that Terra and Adrian were okay, but if Sabrina had been the one to bring his sister out of Argus, that was good enough for him.

“H-hey!”

Winter’s face was uncomfortable, as he sighed, entering the coffee shop with Saphron still ‘probing’ Winter’s body with her hands. Winter was definitely not too charmed by the touch, but the fact that Saphron was family was undoubtedly a factor. If it was mom, she’d have been asking Winter about whether he’d have the same sexual appetite as she had.

_‘Mom, I love you, but jumping at dad when you get home from a mission is just… oof.’_

They had a problem with that kind of thing, but mom always was better after she’d properly been welcomed back, smiling at her children, even if she was wiping the sweat off her brow and dad was half-dead-looking when he finally entered the kitchen. Most of his sisters were… well, a little much like mom sometimes.

“Sis! I got a spo- ooh, new girl? I thought you liked _coffee_ , not _cream_.”

That voice was familiar too. The fur coat that was an ice-white and adorned with little golden stars definitely was a more chique tone, the skin visible below it certainly not something that had been hidden for long, when she was on the job.

_“Come on, Jaune… grab em, yeah… That’s it, grab big sis by the hooters! You're only sixteen once, buddy!”_

Star winked at him, a cup of coffee in front of her, the smell of something smoky hanging around her, the tongue sliding over her lips as Saphron sat down next to her, Winter and himself left to find a seat. The armour was a little bit too much for a simple coffee shop, but it definitely wasn’t a normal pair of people who were sat down. Winter looked normal, Saphron looked normal and he looked like a knight and Star looked like, and he’d quote his mother on that ‘a hooker waiting for her pimp’.

“Jaune’s girlfriend. She might’ve kissed him, but there’s _no_ way that Jaune’d have ploughed her field. She feels fresh. Virginal. He’s not got his grubby hands on her _yet_.”

Winter’s face was starting to resemble a tomato, as Saphron’s hand disappeared behind her back and Winter jumped a little at the touch.

“Saph, please… We’ve had sex before, there’s no need to-“

Star and Saphron gave him a look, their mouths opening, as the ‘eeeehhh!’ girlish shriek of excitement came from their mouths, as that little glint of ‘spill the beans’ and ‘oh gods darn it, he got laid’ entered their respective eyes.

“Ooh, ooh! How was he? Was our little brother good enough for you? The name’s Star, so eh… yeah, pleasure. You’re the cherry-popper of my brother, aren’t you?”

_‘That’s not… exactly it.’_

This was more complicated than he’d imagined, but…

“Well… _no_. My older sister was the one who-“

Their gazes went to him again, Saphron making a fist and raising it in his eyesight.

 _“Jaune Amadeus,_ are you defiling innocent womenfolk with your manhood?”

_‘I wouldn’t call it defiling… Well, outside of that fantasy of Weiss.’_

He felt a little taken aback, but because of the energy that his sisters had, the way that they could brighten the day or darken it with a simple comment, it was still a better state of mood than he’d been in before. The world never seemed to be too hard with some of the freer members of his family around.

“Well… I kind of had sex with her and her daughter at the same time last night…”

The little O of Saphron’s mouth was mimicked by Star, and Winter looked at him with that understanding look in her eyes. He hadn’t been together with anyone else, and the two women had wanted to let him feel the warmth, to forget about the death that he had caused.

It had all been such a good plan, all to make sure that there would be minimal loss of life. He wanted to believe that people could pick the right choice, that they weren’t dumb sheep led by the nose by some ancient wizard.

“Shit, so… Eh… _wait a fucking second,_ how old is her daughter? Jaune! She doesn’t look older than me! Twenty-six at most!”

He held up his hands, looking at the two sisters who were giving him looks that definitely were easily summed up as ‘we don’t accept any sort of tomfoolery with kids.’. He might’ve not been clear enough on who he was sleeping with.

“The woman’s daughter is nineteen, it was Winter’s half-sister, and-“

The sigh of relief that the two sisters gave at the same time, Star getting up and brushing a hand over Saphron’s shoulder, giving a quiet ‘two sugars, right?’ in a low tone, before she turned to the two of them.

“Sooo… I’m here to bring you a coffee, so let me treat you, girlfriend of my brother. There’s going to be a lot of ruckus around Atlas soon, so… Saph? Do you want to give Jaune the game plan? This place is cold enough to freeze my tits off.”

_‘Oh…’_

They weren’t here to help him, he guessed. Saphron was a deft hand with the blade she wielded, and it was a testament to her skill that she’d gotten it somewhere he couldn’t quite make out.

“So, yeah, we’re the emissaries of the family. Star said that we should go for a coffee and talk with you, whilst we get all the things on the table.”

Saphron leaned on the wooden table that they’d sat down at, Star’s seat still unoccupied, Winter shifting a little nervously, his sister’s eyes sharply peering down her nose at him, the blue fierce, contrasting with her dyed hair. One of the benefits of having blonde hair was that you could dye it fairly easily, and still look damn good.

“Whatever in the name of gran-gran possessed you to run for the Council, Jaune?”

The look on Saphron’s face showed her annoyance. Mom could be even worse, and she’d probably tie him up by the ankle and then beat him silly for a while. Saphron at least was the gentler hand of justice of the family.

“It was the only way to get out of Ironwood’s grasp, because an electable candidate cannot be held accountable for anything whilst the process is still undergoing by the military. It’s a loophole in order to ensure that the right of the people is guaranteed.”

Saphron nodded, her eyes going to her Scroll. The family portrait was her background picture, clearly showing several of the family already arranged in a comfortable position, the set of couches having been positioned for that purpose.

“ _Canny_. So, about the woman who died… What was she to you?”

Casey’s face appeared in his mind, the warmth in his heart fading once more. It was a slow degenerative feeling of despair, as he remembered the love that she’d shown him, the kindness, the understanding that she’d never be a partner, but that she’d be a lover.

“She was someone who offered her home, who… Who comforted me when my team died. Ren and Nora… The two you met at Argus, when I told you to stick to Arc for now, Saph, they were _killed_. Innocent people were killed, all because of me.”

Saphron’s understanding look was something that he could understand. She laid a hand on his back and there was a companionable silence, Winter rubbing his side, trying to offer comfort. It was what he needed. Casey and her daughter had been a glimpse of a family, of a hope that he would have something to leave behind in the world, even if it was but a dream. Saphron spoke up after a minute, when the worst of the hurt had passed.

“Rosa’s called dibs on you. Best prepare yourself.”

_‘Oh no.’_

That meant piggy-back rides. Just because she was short, it meant that he’d be ridden like a horse again. He didn’t mind, but she was older than him, as well as single now. He didn't want to be the pony again!

“What… what exactly does your family do, if I may be curious and inquire? I know of the surname, but of the current affairs, I am unaware.”

Winter asked a question that she probably really shouldn’t have, as Saphron smiled at her, and he was reminded of grandma’s little smile when he’d asked what she did.

“We’re ah… _professionals_ , Winter. Let’s just put it like that. Jaune never had much skill, so he wasn’t given the training, but hey… he’s a bit more skilled now. So, how’d you do it?”

He blinked, looking at his older sister, and she mimed stabbing something.

“Getting rid of ol’ Schnee? Don’t think that you can hide it from me, you little maggot. I know when you’re not telling the truth even if you’re giving a Semblance a false positive.”

The question that’d been asked during the debate, and the way that he’d deflected it, and he glanced at Winter for an instant, before he turned his attention back to his older sister.

“I know who did it. It’s… not really important. A man died, Saph. The poor family of the man is beside themselves.”

Winter made a sound, as she laid a hand on his side, pulling herself close to him. Saphron seemed to take the answer as-is.

“Yeah, our baby brother’s first kill is going to get a place on the wall. By the way, we retrieved the head from storage. Storing it in a _fridge_ , Jaune Arc? Do you know how easy was to find it? If they’d just checked the fridge, they’d find that bastard staring at them after opening the package. _Still_ , we’re proud of you. Our little baby brother killing his first guy, a guy who’s a murdering savage.”

He shrugged. It had been a fridge item. The man had been guilty and he had been punished. Star hummed softly as she put a cup of steaming hot coffee in front of him.

“Here’s a little cup of coffee for my little brother, full of hot warmth for his widdle tummy-wummy.”

She ruffled his short hair, shaking her head at the short hair.

“Whoever did your hair has got to receive an ass-kicking. It was so nice and long… Now you look like you’ve got a bunch of Vacuan bananas on your head.”

He groaned at her, knowing that it looked a little bit funky. Casey hadn’t minded it, nor had the other women minded it. Star’s Scroll went off and she opened it up, a call from a number that had a different ringtone.

“Hey there doll-face. I’ve gotten our little brother here, and-“

A middle finger was visible on the screen, before it was handed to someone, and a quiet, very familiar voice spoke up.

“Shut _up_ , Star. Give me to Jaune.”

That definitely was Rosa. He looked at the pale features and the cigar that was lit in her hand, her eyes looking darkly at him. A snap of the fingers and the features changed, showing Cinder’s little henchwoman.

“You little _bastard_. Don’t go changing your hairstyle so I can barely recognize you. Seriously, if I hadn’t been clued in when you opened your mouth, I’d had thought you were some goon who was after the target’s pussy.”

That definitely was Rosa, and her whispering voice was irate and angry. He made a smile, as he offered his best apologetic look.

“Hey, you were trying to hurt my friend and her mother and sister. Just relax, and-“

The assassin’s image melted away, and he could hear a faint ‘whee!’ come from somewhere behind her, a familiar register of excited voice that couldn’t be possible, because the person was dead. She must be somewhere in public.

“You ate poisoned food and managed to walk it off, Jaune. That stuff can kill a charging Faunus after three steps! I was supposed to take out Schnee, and then make sure that little miss Bitch showed her back so she’d get a few more holes in it, but you just _had_ to foil it. Thanks a _lot_.”

The look of venom was enough to warn him, and he realized that he’d been poisoned during that dinner.

“Wait, was that why the appetizers tasted so badly? Oh gods, you _poisoned_ me!”

The pouty look on his sister’s face was definitely her upset face.

“I got _dibs_ , Jaune. And-“

The narrowed eyes at him and the faint baring of her teeth.

“And I’ve got a little _present_ for you.”

He did not make much of a sound when Cinder’s head was raised by his youngest sister, the look on her face still angry and wrathful. The cold blizzard inside his heart slowly started to freeze as he felt that vindication shoot through his nerves, aware that one of the goals for this grand plan had been achieved. Cinder was dead.

“Jaune?”

He could hear Winter ask him something, and Rosa’s eyes narrowed.

“Is that Schnee? What’re you doing with that woman, Jaune? She’s still allied with Ironwood.”

That wasn’t the case anymore, he guessed. Winter had said that she’d like to continue with him, that she’d want to stay with him. That was something that he thought he could trust, that would be at least dependable for the time being for now.

He missed his team. They’d know what to do, or at least give input. He had Arthur Watts now under him, the man only held by dubious loyalty. He knew that the man was just trying to save his own skin, with the uncertainty of that double-cross just waiting to happen.

The man couldn’t be trusted, but his family could be trusted. It was one of the cornerstones of what he’d always been led to believe. You could trust family, because they would never betray you. They would know you, they would love you, they would be there to care for you.

“I’m… I’m currently with my boyfriend, your brother. I’m- I’ve chosen to stand with him.”

Rosa definitely gave Winter a serious look that was her ‘I am going to judge you, because you’re taller’ expression. She pouted a little after a short moment of staring, before she spoke up.

“As long as you don’t have cold feet in the bed, we’re okay. I guess… sorry about trying to kill you. Cinder wasn’t willing to let you live and I didn’t think I’d be running into my little brother. Oh, stop it! I know that look.”

They all knew that look. She was a tease, just like Star was, and he could see that she was at least warming up to Winter a little. Hopefully. She was always a hard one to read.

“Apologies… accepted? I do not think that I would like to fight you.”

Rosa nodded, her hand raised and her fingers snapping, a bright flame dancing above her palm.

“I’d like to see you _try_ to get close. Romeo’s been avenged.”

Winter breathed in deeply, before she calmed down.

“The general is looking for you. It’s not safe here in Atlas. I’ve not been officially briefed, because of my own affiliation with Jaune, but-”

Winter cared. She was worried for the family, and he pulled her close, kissing her on the cheek. They could do this. They could do this together, and if her mother- no, if Willow and her daughter Weiss wanted to be a part of the family as well, he’d do his best to make sure that they were safe.

“Well, he’s gotta beat my little brother out of his elected seat first. Were you planning on getting her on your desk in a sexy little secretary outfit or something, Jaune?”

It was Star who spoke up with a crude suggestion. He had a case of hardening lower manly body parts, the thought of Winter in a secretary outfit, something dark and form-fitting, her hair loose and those blue eyes just- 

“Yeah, that’s the crude smirk of the guy who got lucky, alright. I guess our little dress-up doll doesn’t have to be loved by his sisters anymore, oh noooo~!”

Rosa’s middle finger was enough of a response to Star’s little comment, as Winter flushed a little. How normal his sisters could act even in a pressing situation still made him feel a little out of sorts, even though he should have the election in the bag, due to the way that Robyn had been dealt with.

People often watched the debates, he knew from how Casey had once said that Robyn had been the only viable candidate, and that she’d supported the woman because of that. Ren and Nora would have been great to bounce ideas off, with Nora taking the less than rational positions and Ren the more logical ones.

Ren had chosen to end himself. Nora had died. He’d not even seen them before he’d have to go and deliver his speech, he’d thought that they’d be safer, but-

_‘I failed you guys…’_

There was no great happy ending, no grand moment where he would be able to see them again. Pyrrha was dead, Ren and Nora were dead. He was alone, but he still had his family and the woman that he loved. He had the woman that he loved, who had said that she’d be with him, despite his family’s history.

He was a failure in his own eyes, as he’d lost what he had considered to be important, he’d lost the feeling that he should have guarded from the beginning, now no longer able to call himself a hero or something that resembled it.

“Jaune? I was just joking about being the dress-up doll, you know?”

Star’s worried voice came from his side and he realized that he’d gotten distracted again, that he’d let the dark emotions overpower the ones that really mattered. It was the weight of the crimes that he had committed, the weight of all of his sins, of all the hopes that he had crushed in the name of love.

_“And when you stand before that abyss, when you see them take everything you have ever loved away, all because of some decision that they made because they think they have the right to decide about what you should do… Would you leap into it? Your aunt was much wiser than me, when we were growing up, Jaune. Salome always had been mother’s darling, the warm woman that made me smile when we were training.”_

His mother’s words, remembering the words that had brought him some solace, as he’d failed. There had been lessons in the past, lessons that had been half-forgotten by now. She had not hoped for him to be some murderer, and she’d never said that he should stop doing what he wanted to do.

“Just… Just reminded of my team. They’re both dead, they… Cinder killed them. Well, Ren chose suicide, but-“

Rosa looked at him and blinked.

“Ah, Rin? Get over here, let that girlfriend of yours hit the roof. My brother would like to see you.”

He watched the Scroll as Rosa handed it to someone else, coming face-to-face with a pale face with pink eyes and a look on it that was tired. Blonde hair was falling in the face, the pink eyes looking as serious as they came, familiar to him.

“Hello Jaune. I’m sorry for disappearing so suddenly. We weren’t going to let you suffer this burden alone. We were not going to let you kill yourself because of Fall.”

_‘Hey, Ren dyed his hai-‘_

It was Ren’s voice. It was Ren’s eyes. The Mistralian features looked serious and he realized that he was leaning against the table and that his coffee was soaking into his hands and making a puddle. He could hear his sisters ask whether he was alright, but that didn’t matter right now, looking at his brother-from-another-mother and not being able to stop smiling.

Ren was _alive_. The specifics didn’t matter, but this was his friend, his buddy, his brother who he could confide in.

“Why?”

Ren looked as stoic as he always did, his face showing one of those half-smiles that was just a curl of the lips. The voice in the background was Nora, undoubtedly. Wherever Ren went, Nora followed. Wherever Nora went, Ren followed.

“You said it yourself, Jaune. Do something so unexpected that it would not draw suspicion. We tried to let you know through miss Nicta, but sadly, it seems something happened.”

He hadn’t been thinking right. He’d not been thinking right and he’d paid for it. Ren had missed his streak of hair, and he’d not been the right size. Nora had missed the scars, and there had been few identifying features that had been lost.

“ _How?_ ”

Rosa appeared to seize the Scroll again.

“You dum-dum, you _never_ answer your scroll when you get messages, do you? I sent you a message after the assassination. That bitch killed my boyfriend, and you weren’t supposed to get involved, you dum-dum! You’re the nicest out of all of us!”

He was pretty sure that he’d missed that message, then. He was also pretty sure that he’d made sure that there was a response at all times, but he might’ve missed it. He didn’t always check his Scroll, so he wasn’t sure whether he’d done the right thing.

“Ah, I- I _might_ have forgotten? You change numbers so frequently, so-”

Star whacked him playfully on the head, ruffling his hair affectionately.

“Silly little brother. Now, Rosa? Let the young man talk to his friends. You’ve called dibs, so that’s going to be your turn.”

He felt relief enough to briefly forget that Rosa might just have ulterior thoughts, Rosa’s lips looking him over.

“I’m going to break you in, Jaune. It’s been two years.”

_‘Yeah, and I remember you wanting to go shopping whilst seated on my shoulders. Those thighs of yours were crushing my neck!’_

They’d been called an ‘adorable couple’ back then. Rosa had just smirked and her boyfriend had been very amused with how they’d looked.

_“Oh my, Neo, you’ve brought me a tall blonde! Whatever must I do to restrain myse- oww! Hey, fair play isn’t a good thing in our line of work, sweetheart!”_

The man had shared with him the fact that he had connections and could get him into Beacon. Rosa had urged her boyfriend to most certainly do the best job that he could, and the man had delivered, Rosa winking at him and calling it ‘an early birthday present’.

“Nora is now… y’know? The power had to go somewhere, and-“

The Fall Maiden. That was dangerous, that was a very dangerous thing, but Nora was strong. With proper training, there would be a Nora Valkyrie that would call down the thunder and lightning…

“That makes sense. You know what I did, Ren.”

A small nod, the blonde hair falling in his face again, pushed away.

“But I wouldn’t keep copying my family’s hair though. Mom would just eat you up.”

The look on Ren’s face was a little queer, as he looked away, his cheeks a little hot.

“She has said that Nora is pretty adorable. She complimented my dress.”

_‘Oh gods, mom and dad are here! They're HERE!’_

This was not good. Those two, at the same time…

“So- eh, yes… They’re _here_? In _Atlas_?”

This was definitely not good, as Ren nodded stoically.

It made how they’d fooled the world into believing that they’d died pretty clear though. If great-grandma could be fooling the world that she’d died, it wouldn’t be too hard to think that mom could just pull a Hood-weenie on Ren and Nora. With dad working together with mom, that was nearly guaranteed.

_‘Oh crap… oh crap, oh shit, oh crap.’_

This was… definitely not good. There were going to be _questions_ , and he said that he’d be able to handle himself.

“They’re currently eh… _busy_.”

He could imagine that. This…

_‘Oh gods, as long as they didn’t decide to make this a family affair… Let’s see, Saphron’s here, Rosa’s here, Star’s here… If the other four are here too, that’s-‘_

This _changed_ things.

“Your mother said that she had a… surprise?”

_‘Oh no…’_

This was just like his seventh birthday. He still remembered the pieces that'd been embedded in the wall.

Winter looked a little lost. He mustered his best smile.

“Well, it seems that you get to meet mom and dad too. What a joy…”

She didn’t seem to know what face to make, remaining silent, as she looked down and then up again. He’d been too optimistic. His mother would find one way to embarrass him.

“Nora, come and talk to Jaune.”

He saw a flash of green hair and remembered the familiar sight of the two huntsmen who he’d seen. A dress, Ren in a dress, Nora looking like she’d be perfect. It hadn’t been some kind of optical illusion, they were alive.

“Hey Jaune. I’m sorry, Nicta was supposed to go and talk to you about us, but- Y’know… Your dad.”

That sounded like dad. He’d always said that the proper preparation for making someone dance to the tune you put on was by ensuring complete and utter obedience. It was something of a trick that he had with his skills, though he’d never quite explained how he’d done things. He was mostly there to keep the heat off his mother, who was the more deadly member of his parents.

“Yeah… I know. So… You got dupes for your bodies?”

A small nod from Nora, as she shrugged a little in the short dress that she wore, one that made her breasts pop up even more.

“Mortician, silly. I wasn’t against trying a bit of revival. The heart is a muscle too, and if I get shot up by a Lightning Dust round, it’s just good for making me pop and fizzle. Not good though. Getting stabbed _hurts_. If not for your little sister, Cinder might’ve hit the heart, but she was enough of a sadist to push for it. I bet she was wondering about what she didn’t know, heh. We never told _anyone_ , Jaune.”

He knew that. His family’s name wasn’t something worth spreading, but this meant that his friends were still whole and intact. That meant that there was still something of hope within his world, aside from Winter and her family.

“Also, your sister is teaching me how to fly. Magic is kind of neat, but I kind of miss Magnhild. I want to smash things with you, oh and we’re going to have to have a chat about how we’re going to seduce Ren to the Arc side. He’s my boyfriend and we’re in this together! We’re not going to drop you, nope! Not allowed!”

He didn’t know what the future would bring, but he was going to stand against whoever would hurt what he loved. Relief flooded him as he started to laugh, leaning down onto the counter, a heavy weight falling off his shoulders, the puddle of spilled coffee soaking into the armour, as he smiled a more genuine smile than before, the sadness lifting from his shoulders.

_‘We can do this… Pyrrha, Casey, little Pyrrha… That cold bitch is now dead. Thank the gods.’_

He should get some fresh coffee though. And some sleep.

“So, _that_ put a smile on that face, you silly-willy! Oh, and we’ll be laying low for a bit. Not good to be walking around just yet. That girlfriend of your campaign manager was sent off with your dad doing a little bit of his Semblance on her.”

He would have to acclimate to the sudden change in information. Knowing that your parents were present in the Kingdom was already a large change, but to hear that you’ve got allies that’re back from the dead?

He turned his head to Winter, who looked somewhat relieved, having remained mostly silent. Star was leaning against the counter and she smirked at him. Saphron had went off, and was standing at the counter, waiting for a cup of coffee, probably to replace the one he’d crushed by accident when he’d seen his friend again.

“Hey, Nora? I’m together with Winter again, and-“

The smile on his friend’s face was brighter, as the genuine happiness entered those eyes again. Paranoia was not going to be his undoing, even if he knew that there was a disposition towards it that ran through the family.

“Then go and make love to her, glorious leader! I can wait for my turn, but Rosa’s first. She called dibs, and I need to get Rennie some linge-rennie!”

He smiled good-naturedly at Nora’s comment. She most certainly wouldn’t be serious with that.

“I hope that I will not be suddenly attacked, Miss Valkyrie. Though… I must admit a certain hesitation to trust you.”

The smile on Nora’s face did not change much.

“You picked the winning side, Winter. Ruby is a nice girl…”

That was true. She was one of his best friends, misguided though she was. She would believe the silky honeyed words of a liar’s leech-riddled spirit. It was a hint of what the man was capable.

“But she’s not seeing the bigger picture. She’s not seeing what you’re doing for the people of Atlas. He killed someone for you, Winter. He’s a stupid little bastard at times, but- The moment you drop him, I’ll be making sure you get the hammer dropped on you.”

He knew that. Nora was protective of him and his feelings, so Winter’s face just showed a look of understanding.

“I will make sure that he’s perfectly safe and alright, Nora. Love is… It’s like a blazing fire that lights you up and makes you willing to do anything to keep him safe.”

She was sweet, as his sister gave a squeal and then hugged Winter. It was a contrast, the blonde hair and the rather risqué outfit, comparing with Winter’s casual dress and dark hair. Winter looked like she was trying to come to terms with it, but that mattered little.

“Aww, we’ve _got_ to get you a tattoo. Mom wouldn’t let the others get a tattoo, but maybe an arc or two on the stomach? Little bit of a sign that you’re now a part of the family, there to be a bad-ass babe who can twirl on that love-pole? Aww, Jaune, have a bit of fun, don’t look like Saphron suggested that you’d be the decoy again.”

He was _not_ going to let his girlfriend/lover get a tattoo. Tattoos were kind of icky.

“I was _five_ , Star. Just ‘Go and walk up to them, and big sis will do the rest!’, and they just had me for three hours! I don’t know what Saphron did, but they kept on pinching me and telling me I was such a good girl! A _dress_ , Star! A _dress!_ ”

That dress had been _uncomfortable_.

* * *

Weiss Schnee was now in a tight position. As she stood there in the main hallway at the staircase, she knew that she would have to strike quickly. Glancing at Yang, who was standing with Blake, she glanced at Oscar, who was currently talking with Ruby quietly. The two of them had been too close, too personal, and he’d put his penis in her.

_‘Now…’_

She had spoken briefly with Yang, just a moment during the shower moment that had turned into a very brief encounter where they soaped up each other’s body, Blake having been busy with something else, the quick conversation of ‘I need your help, please’ having spiralled out of control into a moment where she’d been face-first into a blonde bush, licking and slurping whilst strong hands grabbed her head, the moans louder and louder.

She was not… too into women. Not at all. It just _happened_ , and she _might_ like it a little bit. Just a bit. She wanted that big raw hard manly body of Jaune. He was _cute_ , single and most certainly she was going to ‘welcome’ him home after that debate.

Mother could say a lot about this not happening again, but it had been…

_‘Now…’_

She had to act fast, her hand going to her ear, brushing the braid from behind it, the motion to check whether they were paying attention to her, to see how their awareness was. Glyphs required attention, awareness and that little hint of the power of the family's Semblance to spark them into being.

“So, Blake? You think you’re going to be getting the top bunk this time, or will I beat you to the punch?”

The comment from Yang drew attention, spoken with that brash and confident tone that had Weiss definitely deliberating making Yang take her for a little tour on the Yangcycle. Ruby’s head turned slowly, Blake’s face looking a little cat-like in its amusement, as the glance at her partner and girlfriend seemed to be humoured.

“Hey, if you want the top bunk, I can just-“

The time was nigh. She could see the Relic be clipped on Oscar’s belt, the weight of the Relic looking like it should. There was one more question to be asked of the spirit of the Relic, and that would bring with it the knowledge that she needed. She had given it much thought, and since the criteria were about events in the current time, she would ask what way Salem and Ozma could be released from their curses.

She would bear the weight on her shoulders herself. She was Weiss Schnee, and she was not her father! She was a woman who chose to do what was right!

“Ruby, we just have to-“

The Glyph blossomed into existence as a Haste Glyph sped her up, another glyph arresting the movement of the target, Oscar captured within a single Glyph that held Gravity within it as one of the properties. She could see the Glyphs, she could feel the Semblance’s power within her, as she dashed past him, grabbing the lamp in her hands and then ripping it off the belt-loop. Oscar’s pants tore thanks to her speed, but she had the lamp in her hands.

She had stolen the Relic of Knowledge.

Oscar's pants fell down, revealing plain grey underwear. Grey, like the soul that had haunted the body, the one who had been pumping Ruby's head full of lies and her lower parts full of his... stuff. That was still creepy as fuck.

“Hey! Weiss?!”

Ruby shouted, but Weiss held on to the lamp, the Glyph still in the full-powered state, keeping Oscar pinned. Yang’s arms grabbed Blake in a hold, before she’d interfere, Ruby’s eyes wide in disbelief, as Blake was pinned by her girlfriend, Yang overpowering the Faunus so she wouldn't interfere.

_'Good, we don't need you interfering again.'_

“I’m going to ask the third question, Ruby. We need an answer on how to deal with this- this whole thing!”

She held the lamp up and in a small hint of the stories that she remembered from her youth, rubbed it. A small glow, as the lamp seemed to recognize the touch, Oscar breaking the Glyph through force, the cane in his hands shifting to an activated mode.

“Doing so is unwise, Miss Schnee! Leave it to people who will know what to say! We do not have time to waste, Miss Schnee! Salem is coming and James would need to have knowledge so he can plan the defense of this place!”

_‘You never call him General Ironwood anymore, Ozma…’_

“Jinn!”

The lamp started to belch forth smoke, the massive spirit appearing in the air before her, bobbing in the air slowly, her amused face looking down at them. The chains looked like they floated, the woman’s hair shifting on an unseen wind.

“What way can Salem and Ozma be allowed to fulfil their tasks so they can finally die and this cycle of hate and spite can be over?!”

She shouted the question, the frozen surroundings still looking as they should. Blake was struggling a little whilst Ruby looked at her with eyes that were wide, betrayal within them. Oscar had stopped, the cane weapon coming closer to Weiss her neck, ready to try and take her out.

The spirit of the lamp gave a soft laugh and a shake of the head, as she answered.

“I’m sorry, but I have no more answers for you. You will have to wait ninety-nine years, Weiss Schnee. Three answers per a hundred years, as I have said before.”

_‘What?’_

* * *

**An update, because tomorrow I may be in hospital due to my health fading. Stay safe and stay healthy. I'll try to keep updating this more frequently.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like to.**


	23. It's a party for two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Question is asked. Schnee-nanigans. Difficult choices.

**More intrigue.**

* * *

She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what to do at all, as the spirit of the Relic of Knowledge informed her. How could the question have been used? The spirit bobbed in the air, the smile on the genie’s lips shifting, her hair ephemeral and ghostly, as the Relic glowed for an instant.

“H-how do you mean? There was one question left when we asked last!”

Ruby’s voice was loud, and her eyes went to Oscar, or Ozma, whatever the current melding of spirit and flesh was. The look of surprise on the boy’s face was real, as the shock seemed to have snapped him out of whatever state he was in. The mouth had fallen open and there was a shimmer in those eyes.

“That’s not possible! I’ve kept my eyes on the Relic at all times since the Winter Maiden was killed!”

The spirit smiled softly, as she started to slowly evaporate, a tinkling laugh from her lips, more amused than anything the situation would allow for.

“I will take my leave, old one. Ninety-nine years until you may ask me another three questions.”

The spirit of the Relic dissipated, as Oscar or Ozma looked at them, Ruby’s accusing eyes showing betrayal. Weiss hoped that she’d see sense, as Blake was released by Yang, looking at her with mistrustful eyes.

“Who asked the question then? General Ironwood?”

The mistrust in the eyes of Ruby was something that blazed her spirits up a little, as the question hung in the air, Oscar shaking his head.

“He wouldn’t know the activation phrase. It was never intended to be used by-“

There was a pause as the young child, though that definition was undoubtedly already gone the way of the Beowolf, seemed to mull over things. A dark look in his eyes, something that only made things look worse from Weiss her perspective.

“No, it wouldn’t be James. It must have been… Did I ask? No, it could have been any- Ruby, did you ask a question?”

Weiss looked at her best friend and team leader, who looked like she’d rather be elsewhere than dealing with this. Who had asked the question? Who had been the one to ask one very important question, and not been judged? The whole mess with Jaune had happened, and Oscar hadn’t always been with them. Who said that he wasn’t lying?

“Are you… Are _you_ telling the truth?”

It was Yang who asked the question, her eyes narrowed, stepping forward.

“You said that General Ironwood couldn’t have asked the question, but _you_ could have! You’ve lied to us about a lot of things, including your ex-wife!”

Yang wasn’t already making the distinction between Oscar and Ozma anymore. Weiss agreed with that, personally and Ruby looked upset with her sister's betrayal, her voice high-pitched.

“He’s not Ozma, Yang! If he was, he would’ve told me, right?”

There was betrayal, a fear of something in that voice of her red-cloaked team leader, Oscar’s smile boyish, warm and with that little hint of something that she could just think about as a warm familiarity with the boy that he’d once been, the innocence in those eyes making her think that it had all been just a fancy of the mind.

“He’s silent, Yang. He’s hidden away from the world, and I cannot reach him. James will know what to do.”

Yang wasn’t having it, it seemed. The blonde stomped forward, standing right next to her, clearly at her side, the lamp in her hands glowing dully.

“I’m not following you anymore. Ruby, I’m sorry, but I don’t believe that he’s telling the truth. It’s too _convenient_. I’m out. You’re my sister and I love you, but we don’t know whether we can trust what Oscar is saying. How much do we really know?” 

The accusation was heavy as Yang made it, and Weiss could see Ruby hesitating for an instant. The situation was serious, and then Blake spoke up, Yang's eyes flicking to the only Faunus member of their team.

“He’s the best option, Yang! If we cooperate, we can make this world a better place! We don't have to always do things ourselves, if we just trust each other!”

The hope within Blake’s face tasted like the ashes of despair. Yang’s face was hurt, as she looked away from her younger sister, balling her fist. Blake was the _last_ person that should be talking about trust, not after what she pulled.

“Cooperate? A better place? So much for a better place, _Blake_! I prefer liberty with just a hint of danger over being at peace but a slave to someone standing above me! Listen to yourself! You would rather be a slave than to be free? You _disgust_ me. Whatever we had, if we ever had anything at all, it’s _over_ , Blake.”

Blake looked devastated by that, and Weiss felt the strong presence of Yang at her side, as Yang narrowed her eyes at Oscar.

“I’m sticking here with Weiss, until we’ve got a clear plan on what to do. Go, shoo, just do your little bullshit mongering somewhere else, Ozma. I’m not going to follow blindly into the abyss that you’ll lead us into. I’m-“

Weiss felt the hand of Yang on her shoulder, the warmth making her smile, as the blonde looked at her, with a little grin on her lips.

“I’m going to live my life, and Ruby, if you’ll see sense, there’ll always be a spot in my life for you. Now, shoo. I’ll find my own place to bunk when Weiss’ mom kicks all of us out.”

Weiss held out the Relic to Oscar, who took it. It wasn’t able to be used this century, so it was all a useless ornament right now, something that would be a paperweight if it were to be used for some function, but pretty otherwise. There were no more words, Ruby’s betrayed expression telling her more than she wished to know. It was a parting, a mournful parting, Ruby’s eyes hesitantly looking at her before she left, Oscar taking the lead, Blake glancing back. There were no more words.

The remnants of her team departed. Team ROW, it seemed, was now formed. Team WY seemed to just have decided to split from RB.

“That… shit. Fuck, I really did it. I-“

Yang looked distraught, as the door swung shut, leaving the two of them standing there. She could feel Yang wrap her arms around her, the soft hush that came from around her, as she stared into lilac eyes, their wetness something that she hadn’t expected from the blonde.

“I’m sorry, I… I used you too. You were so bold, so-“

She was just Weiss Schnee, trying to do what was right, which was not what Oscar wanted. The world was bent under the will of two immortals, one who had his claws into the life of her best friend and her friends… if Blake could be called a friend. Ruby had submitted to his charms and Weiss knew that it would be a matter of time before there would be a hurdle thrown in her path…

_‘I need allies.’_

“You’re my friend, Yang. I…”

Jaune had raged, he’d been beside himself, his actions so aggressive that it had been a moment where it seemed like he’d snapped completely, insulting Blake, but…

_‘Has he been right? Has it all been manipulation by Ozma? We don’t have magic, so it wouldn’t be unfeasible…’_

Had he broken the spell on him and seen what it truly was what was being done? Yang had not been angry with Ozpin since they had arrived at Atlas, the feeling of being a Huntsman finally after all those trials of the years before having blanked out that unease that they should have. They had been too foolish, too childish to worry about the big enemy that loomed at the horizon.

“I think Jaune might have broken loose from whatever spell he’d put on her. Blake was in league with Robyn Hill, and- and you’re not wrong, Yang. You were coerced.”

It made sense to her. If Ozma had been pulling the strings, he would have made Robyn Hill into an ally through a feigned alliance, to bring the people together, like the Gods had dictated. It was a sickening game, but Jaune had done what he had to, in order to save her sister. He had killed the Winter Maiden, just to make sure that her sister would be _safe_.

_‘He… he did more than we did.’_

He had punched the wall in Saphron’s house in anger, and he’d done what he had to, even if… even if Mother was pregnant by him. That wasn’t bad, it was… it was justified. As long as nobody knew, it would be just a baby, and if Jaune died, it would be an heir.

“I’m not going to abandon you, Weiss. I said I wouldn’t, and…”

She kissed Yang, her arms wrapping around her friend, though probably not girlfriend. She was… she was into men. Yang’s tongue invaded her mouth and she moaned, as the mechanical hand gripped her a little tighter, pulling her close, the belts of her outfit pressing against Yang’s own, giving a small whispering moan as she broke away.

“That’s some farewell you’re giving there to your teammate, Weiss.”

Her mother’s amused tone was somewhat droll as the woman spoke, wearing a loose suit, the morning breakfast having been cleared away undoubtedly, as Weiss looked at her mother with a questioning look on her face, as Yang wrapped her arm around her. It felt good, but she wasn’t _gay_. Not… not fully gay.

The thought of Yang and Jaune railing her with Yang having a special toy, just a blonde sandwich, hearing Yang moan and groan whilst Jaune railed her tight little asshole…

_‘Oh… That would be fun.’_

She wasn’t gay, but she was… adventurous. Weiss Schnee liked boys.

Being pressed down to the bed by Yang and told to lick her, giving her that pleasure and being told to keep at it whilst the mechanical and flesh hand held her head to force her down, well…

_‘I’m not gay. Nope. I’m not…’_

She’d have to… take a shower. She’d taken one a few hours before, but she needed a shower again. Filthy, filthy thoughts. Weiss Schnee liked men.

“I’m going to be sticking around a bit longer, Miss Schnee. Weissey decided to make an enemy out of my little sis and my ex-girlfriend, so I am just sticking around to make sure that she’s safe.”

That would be nice, yes. It would be nice and pleasant to be safe around Yang, because Yang was someone who made her feel a small flare-up of happiness. She’d ask whether Yang would want to take a shower too. A nice warm shower, with her.

“Protection?”

The question was sharp, as the woman’s eyes narrowed, her lips pressing very tightly together, the suspicion in those eyes like stabbing knives, and Weiss could sense the danger within her mother’s voice, the hint that the woman was thinking the worst. It was not unreasonable, after living with father.

“She’ll be safe with me, Miss Schnee.”

Yang looked so resolute. Weiss Schnee may just like boys and girls. Blondes, definitely.

“Good. My other daughter can take care of herself, but my son is not of an age to be able to fight yet. I will have to hire better protection details for the house, it seems… Not an unwise proposal.”

The woman walked off, her mother’s hair loose instead of being in a ponytail, the faint hint of the tapping of her heels in the distance, as Yang hugged her close.

“I’ll keep you safe, Weiss.”

Weiss Schnee smiled at her friend and she felt safe. It was definitely not a little bit of a fantasy to have someone strong protect her. The warmth of Jaune’s aura as it wrapped around her when she’d been nearly dead in Haven, the warmth of Yang’s Semblance, it was comforting in this cold place.

“Hey… I’ve got to keep my girlfriend happy then, don’t I?”

Not many people probably ever saw Yang Xiao Long blush beet red, looking agape at her friend, but Weiss cherished the moment, leaning up to kiss her girlfriend again. It was just… a good relationship. Winter and Jaune or Jaune and her mother could have their fun, and… and she wanted to be loved. Girls, boys, it didn’t really matter.

“Wha-wha whaaaaaaat?!”

Weiss smiled, grabbing her girlfriend’s hand. If anyone from their team had seen it, they would’ve been wondering about her forwardness, as she tugged Yang close. Jaune had been fun, but Yang had helped and believed in her. It wasn’t wrong to… to try dating a girl. Ruby had helped, but Yang…

Yang had stayed and she’d stayed with Yang.

“Congratulations, Weiss.”

Weiss turned pink in her cheeks as Klein gave small applause, Yang’s face turning redder as she watched the butler applaud, the man’s moustache quivering a little with the happiness showing in his eyes, a comforting blue colour.

“Thank you, Klein. It is time that my girlfriend and I have a shower. There was… a minor scuffle, and we are dirty because of it thanks to our friends deciding that they would rather become allied to someone who does _not_ have the best of intentions.”

Yang made sounds that were strangled and squeaky, as the soft ‘Weiss?!’ was uttered by the blonde, but Weiss knew how to handle her newly obtained girlfriend. Whatever the question had been that had been answered by the Relic, it did not matter right now.

“Fresh towels for you after the shower, of course, Weiss. Do wash properly.”

The man gave an indulgent smile and Weiss felt warm, as she tugged Yang with her upstairs, to her rooms. She shuddered a little as she passed by the room that had been Ruby’s, the weight of her own mood darkening not stopping her, as she opened the door to her bathroom, turning to Yang and getting to work on her dress. She might have to opt for something a little more easily removed if she were to live together.

“You’re still _dressed,_ Yang. Do you want me to help?”

Yang gave a little ‘a-gaa-goowhaaa?’ sound, still looking like she’d just been caught off guard. Silly Yang, Weiss knew exactly what she needed, and the hands easily pulled open the shirt, revealing Yang’s bra-less chest.

She leaned down and lightly seized a nipple between her teeth, giving a little bite, as a naughty fantasy came to her mind. Yang would like it, undoubtedly.

“So… You’re _dressed,_ Yang. You still wear clothing.”

That just was an impediment. The clothing was slowly stripped off the blonde, as she looked into the lilac eyes, the shudder that went through Yang something that wasn’t easily suppressed.

“I’m going to get into the shower. You will join me. I require help washing my hair. We will touch each other. My girlfriend will receive the love and care that the lover of a Schnee deserves.”

Yang made a soft ‘wugh-waahhhh?!’ sound, before Weiss pushed her into the shower. The shriek of ‘COLD!’ was a little bit of punishment, she supposed. She turned the heat on, and Yang started to squeak, as Weiss stepped into the shower a moment later, licking over her girlfriend’s neck, pressing her against the wall.

“Now… Just let me take care of you, Yang. You were really brave to stand up for me. I am grateful.”

Her fingers pushed into Yang’s sex from behind, a low moan coming from the young woman’s lips, as Weiss felt the hot sex cling to the fingers, slowly wiggling it up and down, slowly pushing into her. Yang made sounds, her fingers trying to clutch at the slick walls as her hair stuck to her features, the warmth making Weiss feel good.

“Just let me… Let your girlfriend make you feel rewarded.”

She kissed one of those buttocks before she slid down and then pulled her finger out, her tongue sliding over the young woman’s skin, sliding between the legs and then raising her head, her arms helping to support her, as Yang gave a strangled ‘ee-yahhh, Weiss, oh gods, Weiss, I’m!-“

There was a sensation, as Yang’s hands slid down and grabbed her head, Weiss feeling the push of those lips against her own, her tongue sliding in. The blonde pubes glowed a little, the half-activation of that semblance making her feel warmth, as her tongue writhed and slid further into the depths of the blonde, Yang making sounds that she’d not made before, the fingers clutching at Weiss her scalp. She should’ve undone the braid first, but she hadn’t thought about it, as her tongue’s tip wriggled up and down.

“Weiss, gods, Weiss!”

Yang came, Weiss feeling the shudder of her girlfriend’s body as the hands forced her down, the pale skin of Yang dominating her vision, as Yang slowly let go.

“Damn it, Snowflake… Damn…”

Yang sagged down, sitting down on her lap, the water just washing down on her, the blonde’s arms wrapping around her, the serious look on Yang’s face making her look like she wanted to say something to deny it.

“Give me some warning before you steal my heart, ‘kay? I thought you were all goo-goo about Jaune.”

Nobody said that she couldn’t have her cake and eat it and get another slice! She was _rich_! Yang kissed her, Weiss her breath stolen by the passion in those lips, the tongue that forced its way into her mouth leaving not a single shred of that loneliness within her, as her girlfriend’s mouth pulled away.

“Oh, don’t give me that look. I said I’d _think_ about it, Snowflake. If you can make sure that he doesn’t cum all over the toothbrush, go wild. I said I loved you, didn’t I? Blake’s… We’re _done_. She’s got a good heart in her, but she doesn’t think that there are other options aside from fighting. She’s-“

The look in Yang’s eyes was warm, as the smile appeared on the lips of the blonde, her tongue sliding up and down the soft lips.

“Your mom’s going to keep you safe, even if Ironwood comes for us. I’m- _We_ are going to find Jaune and offer support. If- He’s at least the guy we _know_ that wants to improve the world. The only thing that Ozpin has for us is pain, loss and…”

Yang’s eyes looked into her own, a tender, needy look, as Yang hugged her tightly.

“I can’t lose you too. Jaune already lost Ren and Nora and now- now he’s _alone_. He’s so alone, Weiss. We should be good friends and join him. We’re two partners without teammates, so let’s make this… Eh, what do J, W and Y make for a colour? Come on, you’re smarter than I am with that kind of stuff.”

Weiss giggled, Yang’s hand reaching up to brush a finger over her scarred skin, a naughty little thought entering her mind.

“A very hot and messy spitroast? My, I didn’t know my girlfriend was into letting her little Weiss being messily screwed by a strong man and her wonderful self…”

Yang barked a laugh, before she kissed Weiss swiftly on the lips.

“We should get washed up. Only if you’re a good girl and your sister doesn’t object… I think she’s still sweet on him, if the look on her face was a good indication when we last ran into her. The woman’s got it bad for him…”

_‘Well…’_

Weiss smiled, as her tongue slid over her lips, laughing softly.

“We can make it JWWY? Winter might not be so… _averse_ to joining in. Well… or _mother_.”

Weiss watched as Yang’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Ooh, you _kinky_ girl! Are these babies not enough for you, huh?”

Mount Yang the Left and Mount Yang the Right wobbled a little, the nipples capping them looking like particularly ripened buds of interest, Weiss biting down on the nipple.

 _“Hush,_ or I’ll call you mommy. Momma Yang, giving her little bitch of a girlfriend a bang. Don’t think that I didn’t hear you cuss out all those guys back at Mistral, missy!”

She wagged her finger, before she started to giggle. She was much more formal in common dialogue, but with Yang, it felt less hurried and wasteful.

“Momma Yang and Daddy Jaune.”

She looked down. He was technically responsible for her new little sister or brother, and he was definitely someone who would want to stick around if he knew.

“Hey, sweetheart? I didn’t mean it like that, you can-“

She silenced Yang with a kiss. She’d deal with the baby issue when it came to getting Jaune acclimated to the feeling of being with a Schnee. He would make her sister or her mother an honest woman.

“Shut up and wash me, _Momma._ I’m a _naughty_ girl.”

First, she needed to wash her girlfriend. With her tongue.

Preferably. The tiles were rather hard, and given that Yang was sitting on her lap, it wasn’t optimal.

She should get a towel later. Her hair would need to dry, but that was the burden of being gorgeous.

“I’ll punish you later, _Snowflake.”_

She was _counting_ on that. She bit down on a nipple and the fight was on for the battle of the babes.

* * *

“Welcome to Chez Moi. Or rather, the place where Saphy the Super and the great I have been residing.”

Well… it had beds. There were two beds, one that looked like it had been slept in and the other looking immaculately made up for use, but not used. Saphron hopped onto the bed and started to get her shoes off, humming the little tune that’d been popular back when they’d been growing up. There were six boxes of takeout stacked up near the garbage can in the small kitchenette that'd been built into the place.

“Get comfy, Winter, Jaune. You get the spare bed, Saph and I are doubling up. It’s a case of the Mom Sickness, so we’ve been sort of y’know?”

The Mom Sickness, as it was colloquially called, was something that some of his sisters suffered from time to time. Mother had always been an emotional person, switching from emotion to emotion, unless dad was around. It made her frightfully effective, but it also required some… exercise. He had been immune to it, thankfully. Dad liked to call it ‘The Horny Button’ that mom had smacked him a few times for, only to fuss over the bleeding wound a moment later, mumbling something about how sorry she was.

Ten minutes later, dad was dragged into the bedroom with the stern warning that they were not to approach, because mom needed her sugar shot. It was just how it was. Mom and dad liked to make love, mom needed it and it had not been too stressful for dad, or so it had been explained to him.

_“GIVE ME LOVE, LEON!”_

Saphron was the only one who preferred women exclusively, with the general trend of his sisters to lean more towards the male side. It wasn’t a _bad_ thing, just the hormones and the other things that science could explain. His aunt had been very low in that expressiveness, but she had loved mom just the same, reminding him of the day when he’d visited her grave for the first time.

* * *

 _“_ _This is the grave of your aunt, Salome.”_

_The dark skies above were pregnant with some negative charge as the thunder boomed above, the darkness around them hiding them from the world. It was an utterly silent moment, as his great-grandmother stood there before the grave. Her blue eyes looked down at the elaborately worked gravestone, the name carved into it boldly._

**_Salome Amadea, beloved daughter, sister._ **

**_Your death was unexpected, yet you sleep the sleep eternal. Rest well, daughter, for I will endure your loss._ **

_“Gran-gran?”_

_The woman’s features looked down at the stone, the anger in her eyes visible, though she often did not show it. She was cool like ice, her gaze looking at the stone. There was another grave nearby, belonging to the man who was his great-grandfather, the owner of the weapons that dad had on display in the armory at their home._

_“She was the best, my little Jaune. She was flawless, she was without peer. The greatest assassin in this world, reared with the talent whereas your mother was but a weak woman. Now… She is better. The day I found her was one of the worst days of my life.”_

_Grandmother had died giving birth to mother and aunt Salome. Mom had said something about it being a custom to go visit her once a year. The crackle of lightning illuminated the stone, the soil still undisturbed._

_“What- what happened, gran-gran?”_

_The woman’s face was cold as she regarded the grave, the blue eyes closing for an instant._

_“Love… She fell in love and he betrayed her. She broke afterwards and could not find solace in this world, so she chose the rest eternal.”_

_It was sad to see great-grandmother cry, but he knew that he’d have to make her happy, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze._

_“I’ll be your hero, gran-gran. I’ll be just like mom and dad and aunt Salome.”_

_The smile on the old woman’s lips was beautiful to behold, as her eyes looked into his own, her fingers brushing through his hair._

_“You do not have the blessing of talent, Jaune. Your mother was not very great at her craft, but your sisters are modest. You may live your life unworried by anything, my sweet little Jaune. I love you, because you are my first male grandchild.”_

_He had wanted to help her, to make her feel better. He’d asked father and mother, only to be given the excuse that he was weak, that he’d never survive, so he’d better pick something else. Farming was a good excuse for spending time outside, and it was safe._

* * *

“The Mom Sickness?”

Winter asked, as Saphron started to strip down, Star already getting naked, shaking her head somewhat, as he wondered briefly how to explain it to Winter without freaking her out too much. The range of sex drives was broad. You had oddballs like Rosa who could go for a while without stroking the itch and then Saphron, who was… decidedly a little more affectionate. Mom had it the worst though. Dad was lucky that he was a strong Huntsman, even if his wife without Aura-enhanced strength, easily overpowered him.

“My mother is… eh, that is to say-“

He watched as Star sashayed over to Saphron and steered her into the bathroom for a shower, Saphron giving a small little coo, and he shook his head. This was fairly usual for the two of them, as well as being the more ‘progressive’ members of the family. It was generally sink or swim, and if someone needed to have that bit of their weird physique taken care of, they were given a porno and a moment of me-time. He’d… not really been as affected, really. He’d been a virgin. Star turned her head to them, once she pushed Saphron into the little bathroom.

“She’s a freaky little nympho who fucks our dad, Jaune. You can say it to Miss Wife-to-Be. We’re all a bit funny with that. High libido, need of comfort. Only Saph’s a lesbian, but her wife goes both ways. I like men, guys with a big hard shaft, but hey, if we need to blow a load off or two… The offer’s still open, little brother. You know that you shouldn’t be shy. You’re one of us now, you’ve gotten blood on your hands and you’re a good guy. Well, your hair's shit and you look like you got assaulted by a hedge-trimmer, but there's some muscle on you.”

Winter looked at him and he nodded. That was mom, as well as his sisters. Leonhard Von Arcadia, adopted into the family by his mother, and his mother, Selena Von Arcadia, two of the greatest hitmen in the world. Assassins, murderers, rampaging marauders, all terms that could be found. Saphron still had a bounty on her head from the latest time she’d been active in the field.

“Yeah, that’s mom. I’m- Not so much like that.”

Winter smiled, laying a hand on his chest, her fingers brushing over the chestplate, even as they were still standing. Saphron’s little shriek of ‘TURN THE HEAT UP! IT'S COLD, MANDY!’ interrupted, as Winter looked at him, her smile brightening a little.

“I’m happy that you were my first, Jaune. I’m- You know who I am.”

He knew. He cared not. The people of Mantle were a responsibility, if they wanted him. If not… he could move. Nobody would stop him if he was determined. Nora and Ren were there, his mother and father and three of his sisters, likely all seven of them, were present…

“You know who I am, too. I’ve killed people, Winter.”

She nodded, looking at him. The power of the Winter Maiden had been a yoke that had rested around her neck, and she started to undo the armour, pushing it off his body, exposing the shirt that he wore below it. He was getting a little antsy now, as she worked in silence, her blue eyes looking into his own, the dark hair contrasting with those beautiful eyes, as she pulled the sweater off, exposing her chest, held by a single white bra. It was still night, and he wasn’t sure…

“Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think I would care? General Ironwood sends people to their death without a care, without a hint of remorse, because he thinks he knows best! He isolated me, accusing me of collusion with you, of betraying the Kingdom I am a part of.”

She pulled the greaves off, his legs now freed, and her fingers brushed over his pants, the weight that he felt loose and nearly weightless, as her eyes met with his, her fingers on his chest, grabbing his shirt and looking at him. If she had pale hair, she would look like one of his sisters, but the lustrous dark locks and the black eyebrows made her look like someone who was determined and in need.

“All my life, I have served Atlas. I thought that becoming the Maiden was the best option, but you gave me another choice. One of your sisters is now the Winter Maiden, and- and I am not going to let him just take her. She deserves freedom.”

The cold blizzard inside him was burning his insides again, the serious words bringing him only anger and suspicion. Ironwood was an issue as well as Ozma. They held power that couldn’t easily be misdirected and pushed aside. Ozma with whatever magic he still held on, would be the biggest obstacle. Ironwood was another obstacle, but as long as he won the election, it would not matter too much. He would make some amendments to the laws of Atlas, in order to ensure that the jobs were equally spread between Atlas and lower Mantle, in order to foster unity. The wall was being worked on, so…

“Jaune… Get on the bed.”

Winter’s voice was strict, almost like his mother when he’d forgotten to push the toilet seat down, her eyes looking at him with a look that did not seem to be too kind to his chances.

“But-“

She smiled, as she leaned up to kiss him, her hands pushing him down to the bed, and he let her. It was a release from the emotions, as she pushed him flat on his back, taking the lead for once. She lowered herself to kiss him and straddled him, his pants pushed down, her pert butt resting against his groin.

“Mom Sickness is serious. I might’ve caught it.”

That was impossible. Winter wasn’t a part of his family, and-

_“Oh.”_

She was grabbing his manhood, stroking over the turgid length, her hands smallish on that large stave of flesh, as she jerked it, a look in her eyes that was urgent, expressive and needy. Her moth- her _sister_ was similar to that, so there was definitely some overlap, as she leaned down to kiss him. Her breasts made a small bounce, his hands coming up to caress them.

He could hear the shower water rush, the faint hushed sounds of his sisters making use of it. He was sure that it would be fine, just… just a little bit. Winter was to be a part of the family, so she’d be getting accustomed to seeing his sisters in some state of undress. Clothes were very much optional at times in their household for the daughters when the parents were gone, from Hannah proclaiming that ‘it wouldn’t work for the airflow’ to Aurum’s ‘Well, it’s only natural if you want to look healthy to tan in the privacy of the garden, yes?’.

It was just one of those odd little quirks that had been shared amongst his sisters. He was mostly spared the quirks, because his sisters all had their talent for the arts of mother and father.

Anyone who dared to think that he had only shown pictures of his sisters to let the power go to some unknown weak individual, had not listened when he’d spoken about his whole family being warriors… except for him.

_‘At least they didn’t cast me out…’_

His sisters loved him. Winter was talking to him and he probably should pay attention to that.

“not going to stop this, Jaune. No matter what, you’re important enough to me to want to risk it all. If this is love, then it is love. I want to be with you.”

Her pussy was lined up, and she was only holding back for the effect of having his full attention, her hands pushing him into her depths. The shiver that went through her was light, as she seemed to shift her pose a little, leaning over him, her lips pressing against his own.

“I love you, Winter.”

He responded, and there was another kiss, something that curled inside the depths of his heart and then brought forth another wave of lustful emotion, as he started to feel her getting ready to move, the rustling of the shower still moving, whilst his sisters were still busy. They would get done in half an hour, he supposed.

They liked to take long showers and the cost of water wasn’t that high… well, not here in Mantle. The wells that drew water from the ground would supply enough of it, and they’d actually gotten an apartment in the good part of Mantle.

“Prove it to me, Jaune.”

There was definitely going to be some sort of test there, and he realized that they hadn’t used a condom, and he worried immediately, as his hands went to her hips.

“We need to use a condom, what if you get pregnant?”

It was a worry of his. If she got pregnant, he’d do the responsible thing. He would make sure that his sisters got a little baby to coddle and his wife, for it would be a wife that he would make her, would be the proudest mother in the house.

She looked at him, before she cursed. Her eyes looked doubtful for a moment before she got off his manhood.

“I hate it when you make sense, Jaune. Since my sister’s husband died…”

He wasn’t sure what that was about, but Willow was a woman who had charmed him with her love for her family. There was nothing else to say about the woman except that her love eclipsed everything else, that the love that she showed was something that only made her daughter and sister stand out even more.

“Condom, condom… Urgh, I just know that I should have… Stupid, I’m so stupid.”

She wasn’t, but she was passionate. Weiss was an easily excited girl who wanted to do much, who wanted to feel his love, and Willow was passionate as well, much like Weiss was. Winter was the one who was reasonable, but the one who also made him feel like there was a seriousness.

“I guess we’re just going to have to pleasure each-other then.”

Her groin appeared before his face, as her breath tickled over his manhood, still erect. They’d nearly gone all the way, and he wasn’t sure whether she’d be willing to go into danger with something growing in her belly. He loved her, her sweetness and the youth that she clung on to, as her tongue slid over the head, licking up and down, before it wrapped around the frenulum’s tender spot and then pushed down. He groaned, her hips pushing down, as he tongued her pussy.

Pussy-licking wasn’t a skill that should be neglected, so he did his best. She was gasping, groaning and moaning, and her ignoring of his member was accepted. She was a woman that he loved, after all, and they could have sex when they were within a room for themselves again. The slow groans that came from her lips were enough to warn him of an impending climax, as she started to wrap her lips over the head, slow sucks.

He focused on her pleasure, his Aura wrapping around her, the loss of his teammates having chilled his heart a little to the world, but the warmth that he felt from her, the love and affection that he was barely worthy of from her, brought it all back to life. He focused his Aura on her genital region and then wriggled his tongue. It was contact, and he felt her Aura be pushed aside as he amped up her pleasure. One small tensing moment, felt like a thousand tense moments all at once, as pleasure was brought through his tongue to his lover.

Winter bit down _hard_ and he yelped, luckily his Aura was strong enough to remain intact, but the feeling of teeth put an abrupt end to that, as she quivered and tensed, little shrieks and moans coming from her lips, something high-pitched like an ‘eee-waaahhhwyeeehhhhh!’. He groaned, aware that she’d just came with more juices than before, something that sounded like a ‘please, no more, by the Brothers, oh gods…’ from her mouth, as she rolled off him, twitching still. He was pretty sure that she’d wet herself. He was just... yeah, not going to think about that.

_‘Okay… that wasn’t a good experiment. Note to self: Do not amp her pleasure up. Not that much, at least.’_

“Is everything ok- _oh_. Jaune, she… Your face looks like…”

Star was trying to put it in words, as she started to laugh. He didn’t quite get what she was getting at, only to see Saphron peer out of the shower, her hair now a blonde colour once more, her snort of amusement at what had apparently happened.

“If you could teach me to do that to Terra, I’d be happy. For the love of gran-gran’s dress, she sounded like she was _dying,_ Jaune. Sheesh... She's a lucky girl.”

Winter looked like she wasn’t in much of a state. She was twitching, her hands clutching at the sheets, her toes curling and uncurling, his Aura flooding her body once more to restore her to perfect form.

“That was… Oh my, I… apologize. That was more than I could handle. A shower would be needed… Your face is sticky.”

Star gave a good-natured sound, as she offered a hand to Winter, who took it, getting off the bed. Winter’s thighs were dripping wet, the smell of juices and urine in the air.

“Wash up, Jaune. This isn’t the first rodeo that we’ve had with someone getting too excited… Right, Saph? Remember when you had that little shindig with Terra and Sabrina?”

His older sister emerged, and she rubbed a towel over her sister’s side, shaking her head.

“At least we can control our urges, rather than our new sister-in-law here… Seriously, do you know how that sounded? It was like there was someone dying with that primal scream that'd be better off coming from Menagerie, oof.”

Winter’s cheeks were either red from embarrassment or just the knowledge that she’d been seen during an intimate moment with him by his sisters.

“And you will be joining her, Mister. Rosa called dibs, and we’re going to let her get those dibs.”

That meant a piggy-back ride… probably. His erection was already flagging, and Winter’s sudden urge to make out and make sexytimes had not been something expected. Maybe it was just one of the side-effects of being under such a high level of stress, or something else?

Women were a little weird, he’d found. His sisters were his sisters, but they were unique in their own ways.

Winter joined him under the still-warm shower, pushing him under the spray and starting to wash him.

“I’m… sorry. I just wanted to…”

She looked afraid. His arms wrapped around his girlfriend and partner’s waist, pulling her close.

“I’m afraid you’ll leave me. I don’t want to be alone.”

She was a Romanov, he was a Von Arcadia. Cinder was dead, and now… now he’d have to plan for the future. He knew that he would have to do that eventually, but not right now. The love that Weiss her sister had for him was passionate, but it just worked out, he felt. He knew that he had done the right thing by killing Fria.

Mantle and Atlas deserved someone in power who could look at the people and who would make them into the people who would be able to come together. Mantle, as oppressed as it was, still held love for the cultural origin of the nation, even with Atlas floating high above.

He was not going to shirk the duty that he had assigned himself, and he had defied the one who had been brought by the gods to enact some sort of gigantic task. Ozma was his enemy… and so was anyone who stood with Ozma.

_‘You never understood what drives people to come together in unity, Ozma.’_

Her kiss against his lips was soft, as her hands rubbed through his hair.

“I love you. I’m… Wherever you will go, I’ll be with you. My sister gave you father’s armour, and… and that was a message to me, because she knows that I like you. Weiss… she came to me after we had been broken up and I was talking to Willow, and I-“

Her gaze turned to the door, before she hugged him tightly, whispering in his ear quietly, as she didn’t seem to want to be overheard.

“She told me to pick my own path, to do what she hadn’t gotten the chance to do. To… To _love_. You lied to me, but you did it out of love. Fria would have…”

He turned his head to her and looked into her eyes. He spoke up softly, knowing that she was listening.

“She would have taken your soul and you would have been destroyed… probably. Nobody knows what happens to those who are becoming a Maiden, and I was not willing to see you turn into a Maiden. I spoke the names of my sisters in the order that I did, for a good reason.”

* * *

_“JINN!”_

_Ten sleeping pills in the smoothie had made Ozma be out for the count. The host’s consciousness could still make the parasite that preyed on its soul not be aware, as the glowing humanoid appeared before him, her expression holding an amused glint, as Ren stood there at his side._

_“Jaune Arc… or would you rather I use your true name?”_

_He shook his head, as he beheld the spirit of the Relic of Knowledge’s form._

_“I have a question to ask for you. According to what Ruby told me, it has to be a past or current event that has happened, yes? If I were to ask for ‘who killed my aunt Salome’, would that be a question that you could answer, or would it be something that you could show me? I’m just asking for the parameters, that was not a question yet.”_

_The spirit smiled with a small hint of jester-like joy before she nodded._

_“An answer I could provide for such a question and I could show it as well. I am unable to give information about future events, but I can answer your question, as a single one remains.”_

_Winter would not become the Winter Maiden, and he knew now how to phrase it._

_“Then I have a question for you, spirit of the Relic.”_

_It would make Winter, Weiss and Willow be safe from the game that was being played._

_He would deny Winter the power of the Winter Maiden to save her, and he would damn that which he cherished. His family would understand why he did it, even if the world hated him for it and if Ozma struck him down._

_He would not be a hero, but he would be someone who protected those that he cared for._

* * *

“Your youngest sister is the Winter Maiden, right? Rosa? I remember you calling her name last.”

_“Hanna. Annah. Sabrina. Saphron, Star, Aurum and Rosa and me, there in the middle.”_

He had spoken their names in that order to make sure that the power went to the one that he’d wanted it to go to. It was important that the power of the Winter Maiden did not rest within Atlas, so that it did not get noticed.

“She’s… Yeah, she’s always been a bit of a hellion. She could do the splits better for ballet class than I could.”

Winter’s dark hair hung in her face, a smile on her face.

“I’ll keep her safe, Jaune.”

He knew that she would. Rosa was vicious and cruel at times, her soft whispering voice something that he always remembered, even though she’d had a rather high-pitched voice before, the job gone bad having cut her vocal cords in a fashion that had taken a year to heal up to some standard.

“She’d like that. Just… Just bear with her for a bit. We used to be the dress-up dolls for the other sisters… Heh, I have worn more dresses than most of my sisters.”

Winter smiled, her serious nature no longer there, as she kissed him.

“I’d love to meet the rest of your sisters.”

They emerged from the shower ten minutes later, Winter running her fingers through her scalp to shake her hair loose, grabbing the hairdryer and then starting to blow-dry her hair. The bed had been made freshly, with only the heavy scent of lily-oil hanging in the air, Saphron and Star sitting there, dressed for bed, Saphron only wearing a light shirt, Star’s eyes looking at him.

“I’ll keep watch. I’ve set three explosives at every exit, so try not to exit the room before I’ve defused them in the morning, Jaune. They’ll have to deal with me, and I listened when Hannah gave her ‘Explosives for Dummies’ course. Saph, you take second watch. Loverboy and his girl need sleep, even if they got frisky in the bed whilst we were stroking the kitty together.”

He groaned at the teasing tone of his sisters, as Saphron and Star nudged each other, their eyes glinting with that hint that there would be even more teasing coming his way later on.

Sometimes, it sucked having nosy sisters…

“Soooo… No morning foolery, you two. We’re still only _renting_ this place.”

He groaned, as Winter went pink again. Trust his oldest sisters to tease him about a girlfriend who had screamed like she was dying…

* * *

There was a distinct nervousness that welled up inside him as he got out of the cab. Today was the eve in which he would be elected to the office of Councilman, if he had convinced the people that he’d been the best option for them.

They had decided to meet in the diner where he’d met Blake, the Faunus woman greeting him with a cheerful ‘Good morning, mister Arc!’ with the miners that were present and probably just off their last shift giving murmurs of good morning, as he spotted the members of his team. Winter had decided to go back to Atlas, in order to make arrangements with her sister, the look on her face stern.

_“You’re going to come and have dinner with us, Jaune. You and- and your whole family. Willow and I are the Schnee, and we are not in the habit of treating our guests unfairly.” “Woah, dad is going to flip at being invited to the in-laws. Mom… She’ll be all happy again, I reckon. Let me add your number to my scroll, Winter. I’ll brief you about how many guests to expect from your boyfriend’s part of the family. We’re not always in touch when on the job, but I’ll be sure to ring before 12… probably. God, I bet Sabrina is getting the liquor already…”_

“Thank you for what you did, Mister Arc.”

The woman that he spotted at Dirk’s side was someone he hadn’t been introduced to yet, a woman who looked to be around the man’s age, a smile on his lips for something that he’d apparently done.

“I’m not sure what I did, but I tried. My…”

He wasn’t sure whether they were being overheard or not, leaving things vague.

“Friends were somewhat rough, I saw the building explode.”

The woman nodded quietly. It was a little like she was intimidated by him and he checked her eyes for a moment. There was that dull look that indicated his father’s influence, the power that he had within him allowing him to put people under his thrall.

It was a little like the hypnotist’s look, but it worked differently, according to his father. He’d been told not to worry about it, because it had some heavy drawbacks and he’d never use it on family. Mom had tackled him to the ground for even daring to, wrestling with the man until he submitted, the man’s ear bitten down on by his wife.

“They rescued me. Dirk wanted me to thank you.”

It would wear off, he knew. It would take a week at most, maybe a day at best. Dad said that it was because of ‘investment’ or something.

“I didn’t really do anything… But the woman is dead, or so I have heard.”

The small nod, the man looking relieved, as the girlfriend seemed to acknowledge the difference, Callie giving a bold smile, as she smiled.

“We did the best we could, Mister Arc. With how the ratings were last night, you should have a victory by three to four districts.”

The excitement in the young woman’s voice was something that made him smile, as Miss Gelato looked at him with a shrewd look.

“It was entertaining to work with you, Mister Arc. Perhaps we’ll see you on the council for the next four years or ten. May you give us the glory that Mantle and Atlas are due.”

He would try. He didn’t know anything about politics, but he was not going to go and abandon his responsibilities.

“I’ll do my best. I’ve made a lot of people upset with me… But I’ll do my best. For the people of Mantle, for the people of Atlas…”

_‘For the Schnee family.’_

“Jaune… We need to talk. I need to talk to you, Jaune.”

The red-cloaked girl appeared, her face looking serious, as she stood there, her arms crossed.

“Did you ask the question?”

He knew what she was referring to. There was no Oscar in sight, no Blake to hide somewhere, but he was on his guard anyways, not trusting his surroundings.

“I asked questions, yes.”

Silver eyes watched him and he saw the weight in their depths, as she took a deep breath and seemed to centre herself a little. The stubborn look in her eyes that told him that she’d be asking the pertinent question, and he closed his eyes.

“Did you ask her a question to help us?”

He had. The power of the Winter Maiden should not be given to Winter or anyone else around Ironwood. The man was not someone who knew restraint, he was someone who desired control. He had been willing to damn Winter to a life of being in a cell, her sister undoubtedly brought to a similar cell, if not used to produce children for the Atlas war machine.

There were two types of generals. The well-meaning ones who fought for the nation that they loved and were shouldering the burden without fully wishing to fight, reluctantly wielding their power and those who craved control, who wished to leave their mark on the world and keep their grasp on the power that they had.

“Yes.”

Ruby’s smile was hesitant, as she smiled.

“I’m… I’m not approving of your actions, but- But you’re my friend. Yang and Weiss don’t want to work together and- and they left team RWBY, and Oscar just went to talk to General Ironwood, s-so… You’re my only friend I-“

She paused and looked down.

“You would do anything just to stop Cinder, right?”

He nodded, and she smiled.

“Let’s take her down _together._ For Pyrrha and- and the others that we lost. Blake is going to talk with Robyn, she'll try her best, and if we all work together...”

He shook his head quietly. Cinder Fall was eliminated already.

“She’s dead already. I’m… I’m going to leave this place a better place, Ruby. It’d be better for you if you didn’t get involved. It's... It's not going to be a good time for Atlas. Politics... I thought about life... It's a party, unless you've invited some people who're not able to behave.”

She placed her hands on his and stood up on her tiptoes. A small kiss on his lips and a stunned sensation that shot through him, the frozen blizzard inside him gone, as the warmth wrapped around his feelings once again, her silver eyes looking into his own, her short hair and the casual dress that she wore making her look appealing, sexy, even.

“Oscar said that you’re… that you’re a bad person. He loves me, I- I _think_ he does. I’m- I like _you_ too! You've- I've liked you, but you liked Weiss, and then Nora and Ren were dating and we had-“

He felt the weight of those words hit him, as he looked at her with a perplexed expression. He was a bad person, a villain. A hero, he could never be. The right to use lethal force, the deeds that he had done in the name of love… The betrayals of trust that he’d made, the actions of his own hands, the murders that he had committed.

“But I’m _not_ letting anyone else die. Even if you’re a bad person to Oscar, you’re still Jaune Arc! Sweet, short and the ladies love it, if I can believe Weiss! You’re my _friend_!”

He looked at her with sad eyes, as she believed it. She was naïve, she was stupidly optimistic, but she believed that he was her friend. The blizzard in his heart picked up once more as his emotions froze over.

“Whatever happens, Ruby… Promise me that you’ll not interfere if it comes to blows. If- if it’ll be a brawl, promise me that you won’t interfere. General Ironwood doesn’t like me, Oscar doesn’t trust me…”

_‘I don’t want to have to kill you.’_

She nodded, and he internally sighed in relief. If she managed to keep her word…

“I’m… I just want us to be okay again, to be friends again. Weiss and Yang think Oscar is influencing me, and- And I’m afraid he _is_. Yang is a lot of things, better at me at driving a motorcycle, bigger in- in different ways, but she loves me! You love Weiss her sister now and- and I think that love is something great! If Oscar loves me, I’d-“

He wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Ruby hugged back, the long cloak brushing over his side.

_‘I want to believe in you.’_

He really wished that he could believe in her.

She was still a friend he loved, after all. She was _still_ his friend, even after everything that he did.

* * *

**Dinner and the election results next! You get to see all of the Arc sisters together! A democratic victory!**

**To people who were concerned: I’ve got health issues that aren’t really great. I take quite a few painkillers to keep functioning, and I’ll try to write to keep the mind active and producing something to make people go like ‘Yeah, this is an interesting story’. I survived last week’s visit, but I’ve got to take things a little easier.**

**That freezerburn pairing is nice to write though. Weiss is totally bisexual, but she’s got a blonde fetish. Poor Neptune.**

**Also, for people trying to somehow disassemble parts of Bernard Sands speech – I used several Soviet political leaders’ speeches, since Bernie Sanders uses a lot of Soviet Union-level rhetorical devices in most of his more renowned speeches. It’s Bernie in name, rhetoric in the spirit of Lenin/Marx. I was going to go with Joseph Steeling, but I didn’t want to glorify communism too much. Marxist philosophy is not a super-great thing, in my book. Lenin and Stalin weren't very great guys, neither was Mao Zedong, nope.**

**I’m also not American, so you’re going to have to accept that I use some names that will be known to the audience rather than just mention a Ceausescu who wouldn’t be known by the public at large. I always prefer to explain things through a story’s actions rather than just boldly going ‘They did this’ like people seem fond of doing. I tend to rewrite these segments nine to thirteen times because I know that you’re not wanting to see me stand on a soapbox and actually delve into political theory.**

**Leave a comment if you’d like to. I enjoy reading them!**


	24. Preparing for a dinner party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ascent towards dinner! Oh, and Cyanide explains some stuff at the end.

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

The hug lasted a little longer than he was comfortable with, the silver-eyed girl’s shoulders quaking a little as he held her, the breastplate of his armour pressed against, a soft exhaling from the girl making him worry, as she looked up at him with eyes that were barely composed.

She was just a seventeen-year-old girl, someone who hadn’t seen the world be twisted and burned into cinders by someone who had only the intent of getting power, who didn’t care about the people of the world other than the power they could give.

“Tonight’s the election night.”

He spoke quietly, as Ruby rubbed her head against his chestplate like he was some kind of teddy bear. She was petite, as he could feel Crescent Rose rest against his side.

“I’m sorry, Jaune. You’re still my male bestie.”

The words were hard to say for her, or perhaps not as hard, as she smiled at him, the clock in the corner of his vision striking nearly ten in the morning.

“I know, Ruby. I did everything to make sure that you’re all safe.”

The innocent smile on her lips was just as he had expected it. She was always moving forward, never stopping to think about the things that laid behind her, avoiding the world’s ills by continuing to move forward, and he couldn’t let go of it.

“So… What will you do when you win?”

He was not sure yet. The other councilmembers needed to be appraising him of some of the political situations, but he could lift the embargo if there was a need for that. With General Ironwood being the military general of Atlas, he would be outvoted if four members voted to open the Kingdom up again to commerce.

_‘But will you allow that, General?’_

He knew the situation to be rather prickly, as he had not ingratiated himself to the man, nor had he been fully trusting. The situation had changed. The kindness that the man had shown was something that undoubtedly would be feigned in order to seize power. It was how one thought when one had power.

_“Power corrupts, Jaune. Standing at the head of a massive army, of being the one in control of all the lives of the people who follow your banner, it is an intoxicating feeling. It blinds people to the world that they have abandoned, to the world that cares only for the results. A general is not a king, not born to rule, but to command.”_

The words of his great-grandmother came to mind and he knew that there would be a reckoning between general Ironwood and him. If the man would let his thoughts of vengeance fade, perhaps something could be arranged, a truce of some sort, in order to protect the people of Mantle and Atlas from the Grimm.

“Celebrate, probably. Winter is…”

She had gone off, because she wanted to help out. She was someone whose surname could make waves, just as he was the one whose surname would make greater waves, the name of the general who had passed in the tumult of the war, whose name had been synonymous with fighting until the bitter end, whose accolades had also carried rancour and hate with them.

“She’s been silent, Jaune. I worry for Weiss. Weiss needs her family with her.”

He knew that his family was here too. It would be something of a sight to see all nine of them together again, even if his mother and father were present.

_‘At least we’re not going to be putting too much stress on Willow. Star and Saphron won’t catch the attention from General Ironwood, they’re smart enough to make sure that they get to Atlas without a hitch, and the others generally slip in and out of a kIngdom, if I can believe them on their word.’_

His sisters were still great women, even with their proclivities, their oddities and their constant making him into their little boy doll. He was glad that he didn’t have to dress up in one of those frilly things, because it wouldn’t make him feel at all comfortable with Atlas being as cold as it was.

“She’ll be with her family again, Ruby. I… I’ve got to continue this meeting, Ruby. It’s my campaign staff.”

Ruby let go of him and she smiled the smile of an innocent girl that was just preparing for the next adventure, as she chirped a ‘Hi!’ at them, like an overeager bird. He was aware of the feeling inside him, that chill growing even stronger as he saw the young Huntress easily slip herself in with the adults, trying to make herself look like she didn’t make his life harder, and he sat down as well.

“We were glad to work with ya, son. We’ve got this in the bag.”

He could only hope that he was in the right, as the man started to talk about some of the goals that they’d achieved, Ruby sitting next to Callie and starting to talk about something about ‘good mirrors’? Weird.

* * *

The sound of Jaune’s parents making love was loud in the air as the grunts and groans from the older man and his wife’s shrieks of pleasure grew louder, Nora’s eyes watching carefully for any change, as the flame on her palm slowly shrank down.

The image of Neopolitan, Roman Torchwick’s accomplice, was the one that Rosa Arc used, her Semblance working as it did, the pleasurable buzz of the power collecting inside her as she made the fire disappear, Rosa’s fingers snapping once, as something materialized out of thin air, a long shaft of ice, slowly whittled down by the power within the other young woman.

_‘Oh, so it’s like this…’_

She tried it herself. The burning flames melted into icy flames, as a small stalagmite, or stalactite of ice grew from her palm.

“Slower. The basics are important. Try not to use it until you’ve got a clear shot and they do not expect it.”

Ren’s blonde hair was still a little messy, but it would all be okay, as the knocking on the door was loud.

_‘I wonder who it is…’_

The ice dropped from her palm as Rosa got up, the illusion slipping into place, the short woman pulling open the door after a cautionary glance, the umbrella weapon lowered immediately, as the door opened fully and a tall willowy blonde woman entered.

“Helloooo~!”

A groan met, and the woman shook her head, putting the large broomstick against the wall and hugging Rosa.

“Hey there, little baby, did you have a nice time hunting down the wicked little bitch who hurt our little brother?”

Rosa Arc struggled in the grip of the taller sister, and Nora noticed that the struggling was rather intense. The taller sister held on tightly, as the petite Arc struggled. It was not something that Nora would like to suffer herself, because the woman’s grip was tight, and the short Arc was dropped, as the woman came and sauntered up to her.

“So, you’re the girl that’s with Jauney-Jaune’s team, huh? Sabrina Arc, pleasure to meet ya. I dropped off Saphron’s eh… _girl_ and her baby. You’ll probably run into the others later on too, I’m just the fastest one here.”

Nora smiled broadly, as she saw the pep in the woman’s gesture, shaking the hand that was offered and feeling the power inside her slowly work its way up to things.

“So, you’re the one who offed Fall, right?”

Nora shook her head. That’d been all Jaune’s mother. The woman had collapsed the ceiling on top of them and then had went in for the kill. She’d been the lucky one.

* * *

_“You can’t do this!”_

_The arm that’d been torn off laid elsewhere, as Cinder Fall’s neck was wrapped in the lash-like weapon that the woman wore, the dark glint of sadism within the eyes of the woman, as a tongue slid over the perfect teeth._

_“Congratulations, Nora… You’re a magic girl now when Cindy dies!”_

_The head came off as the whip’s edges seemed to expand and Cinder’s mouth uttered a final gurgle, and the power flooded into her like a burning flame, carrying with it a small imprint of what had been Cinder Fall, a whisper of ‘power’ in her ears, as she tried to bring it under control again. The body of one of the Happy Huntresses would be left behind, as Leonhard brought his Semblance to bear once more. There were few times where the man was unfocused, his eyes looking at the body and spitting on it._

_“We should go, liebchen. This is just a gift to Jaune.”_

_The woman’s soft little hiss was louder in the silence that fell, as the man’s hand grabbed the girlfriend of the man who managed Jaune’s campaign, something murmured in Mantlean, a soft hissing voice from the wife of the man as the man did what was expected._

_“And- and what do we do now?”_

_A smile on the lips, as the two parents of Jaune looked up in the direction of where Atlas floated._

_“Kill Councilman Camilla, of course. That’s what we came here for, of course. Political intrigue... And one councilman who really doesn't like the progressive councilmember.”_

* * *

They had their own objectives, outside of the protection of their only son and heir, the woman who had given birth to the man that led team JNR having stated boldly that they would be dead if they interfered with the mission.

They were professionals, they cared not for the people they hurt, but they worked to ensure that the mission was completed. It was like Jaune’s own personal crusade against Cinder, but Nora didn’t think that it would be a good idea to go against his mother and father when they were ‘on the job’ so to speak.

“Your mom did that. I’m just the girl who’s got lucky to help out by being a distraction.”

The sister laughed at that, running a hand through her hair, the dark brown outfit that she wore a little old-Valean style, the big witch hat that suddenly appeared on her head was undoubtedly a fine piece of trickery.

“A distraction, indeed! Call me Sabrina the hot witch, here to bedazzle and- Oh stop laughing, you little midget! I’ve practised this for weeks!”

Nora giggled at the sight of Sabrina Von Arcadia’s face falling as Rosa made a mocking imitation of her, the witch hat disappearing a moment later.

“I seriously don’t like how you keep on doing that when I am giving a speech! I’m still older than you, Rosa!”

The soft-spoken Arc looked challenging, the umbrella raised dangerously.

“No fighting, children!”

The two sisters looked at their mother, who had apparently wrestled herself free from the embrace of her husband, the gravitas of the situation soft, as there was a firm knocking on the door. A tall woman who wore what could best be described as ‘sexy hooker gear’ stood there outside the door, a dirty blonde woman at her side, a sister, it seemed.

“Star, nice to see you too. How was my little Jaune?”

Nora’s attention went to the other sisters, Rosa and Sabrina giving a shared look of annoyance at each other, their fingers weaving in symbols that she didn’t know, some sort of sign language that Nora Valkyrie had certainly not learned before.

“He’s fine, mom. He’s…”

The two older sisters of the family, for Nora remembered faintly how the order of sisters went, shared a look for a moment.

“So… Eh, take a seat, mom.”

The mother sat down on the bed next to her husband as Star Von Arcadia spoke, her father gotten himself comfortable, even without clothing, a small sheet covering half of his body whilst his wife remained bare as the day she’d been born.

It was something that Nora had learned to tune out, the enthusiasm of the woman and her husband for having relations something that was just a thing. Jaune had mentioned it once or twice when he spoke of his family.

“He’s got a girlfriend, and- well, we met her.”

The happy scream was loud and Nora and the other daughters winced.

“He’s able to do it, Leon! He’s got a girlfriend and perhaps they’ll have kissed! I knew that he’d be like us soon enough, I just know that Saphron and her roommate will choose the best option too! Liebchen, our son is turning into a man! He’ll have a girlfriend, they’ll marry and we’ll see _grandchildren!”_

Saphron didn’t look like she approved of that line of thought at all. She looked like she wanted to say something to her mother about her relationship with the woman she loved, but she didn’t seem willing to get into an argument, something that went unsaid, as the hooker-wear sporting Arc slid herself up to Nora and gave her a fondle.

“Now, I know a guy who was very happy to hear from you, ginger girl… So, what’s the situation with little brother and the big ginger menace, huh?”

The conspiratorial grin, as Saphron started to take the conversation with her mother over, the older Arc sister giving a small squeeze to Nora’s buttocks, and the woman smirked.

“He calls out your name during sleep, so there’s _definitely_ something there, sweetie. Tell big sis what the issue is and whether you and your boyfriend are going to be giving my little brother a bit of a special surprise.”

She hadn’t really planned it yet, honestly speaking. She was aware of the issues that would come from their resurfacing, something that would call questions, but the family had said that they’d deal with those when it came down to it.

“Well… There _was_ a thought about doing it with him. We’re a team, y’know? He’s _our_ leader. Those stupid- ugh.”

How Ruby could be so optimistic all the time was beyond her. The girl would probably smile as if the world wasn’t ending, with that whole optimistic nature of hers whilst Jaune suffered! What loss did RWBY have, aside from being separated for a while? It wouldn’t be right for him to suffer that much because of some girls who couldn’t keep their mouth shut.

“Team problems? Yeah, we don’t always agree on things. Saphron’s the one who’s the more outspoken, but even she knows that it’s sometimes better to let mom ramble on. We love her, but she’s not always the best… Dad and her are a bit overprotective. They did nine background checks on Terra after they found her snacking on Saphron like she was a prime slice of- well, you know.”

The woman made a dismissive gesture, as she smirked.

“So, what was it like being with my little brother?”

Nora’s cheeks did not flush somewhat, as Ren merely shook his head lightly.

“We’ve not done that yet. We will, though. There’s going to be-“

An umbrella interrupted her sentence, as a soft whispering voice.

“Dibs. Get in line, broom girl.”

Nora watched Rosa, who turned herself back to her sister Sabrina, who was currently looking much like a clown would during a faire, obviously not by her own intention. A bright red nose stood out, as the woman seemed unaware of the fact.

“Yes… I guess we’re after her. Right Rennie?”

The look from Ren didn’t give her much comfort about him working WITH her.

“Okay, we’ll tackle him together and then we can just make this a comfortable team reunion. Sounds good, no? Yes? Ooh, I remember, we can do that lightning thing with him to get me all aroused, and-“

Star cleared her throat and spoke up.

“Doesn’t work like that. If you’re throwing around lightning, you should take care of not overloading the system. My string uses a lightning dust crystal for when those assholes come at me with the thought of ‘a stripper won’t have a lightning dust thong’ whenever they try to just get fresh. You’ve got to take into account the durability of my little brother.”

Nora was! He’d taken a massive robot’s punch for her, and that meant that he would be more than willing to take a bolt of lightning-infused pussy to the dick!

“Hey! He’s got a monster there.”

A nod from the three sisters who were paying attention, as the doorbell rang again.

“Hey, we’re at least content in making the best of our situation. Don’t you think that we’d never have tested him for being like Saph? He’s not gay, as far as we know. Gran gran taught mom and auntie Sally traditional methods, and that doesn’t really feature liking members of the same sex.”

Leonhard Von Arcadia took that moment to speak up, as he grabbed a towel and made his way to the shower, the man’s smile somewhat bolder as his wife watched him, ignoring her daughter’s words.

“Traditional and very willing to put her heel on my neck in order to ensure that I wasn’t unworthy of her little one… Not a woman that I’d ever want to say no to, but it has given me a wife who loves me very much.”

The man entered the shower and the Arc matriarch got up as well, trailing after her husband.

“Shower. Play nice, kids.”

The four Arc daughters shared a look, before Star grinned.

“They’re fucking again. I’m glad that it didn’t manifest in the seven of us that badly.”

That was curious to hear, as Star shook her head a little, the fingers brushing through the hair as the coat was thrown off. A clown-faced Sabrina Arc looked at each other, as the doorbell rang again and someone pounded on the door.

“Open the fuck up, you lazy cows! It’s cold as hell here! We’re freezing our butt off.”

The door opened and a pair of twins, wearing a set of thick glasses that definitely were Dust-proof as well as coveralls and a massive rocket launcher and grenade launcher. Nora’s attention was peaked by the cheery grins that were on the face of the other twin rather than the one who was complaining about the cold, as the door shut.

“So, that’s six… Aren’t we missing one?”

She voiced her question aloud, as the six sisters looked at each other and a simultaneous groan came from their lips.

“Yeah, trust Aurum to bring us stuff… We’ve got to get the board set up for the game plan, because mom and dad are trusting us with a team effort…”

A knocking on the door nearly an hour later, the parents of the sisters already out of the shower, washed and squeaky clean, and the cheerful ‘I brought food, mom, dad!’ was just as intended, a deep sigh coming from the lips of the sisters, as Nora smelled something really spicy.

“You must be Nora and Ren! Hi! I hope that they haven’t told you weird stories about me.”

The blonde looked perfectly normal, if one discounted the massive chainsaw that’d been folded on the woman’s back, the circular blade looking like it’d come attached.

“It’s the murderous axe killer! Oh noooo-OOF!”

Aurum punched Star right in the gut, the bag with spicy Vacuan food caught by Annah, who didn’t seem to be willing to challenge that.

“That was _once_ , Star. So, we’re here, now let’s prepare for getting a guy put into the grave, yes? I’ve done some digging in the medical files and I’ve found some interesting bits about him. So much for proper security… hah.”

A Scroll was put against the board and the image flickered, as the face of James Ironwood showed on the image.

“EMP the guy and then beat him up whilst his systems reboot. The tech isn’t that hard to subvert with a techno geek at our disposal, if we even had one. It depends on whether we’ve got objective C on our radar as well.”

That sounded like a plan, and Nora saw the serious expressions of the daughters of Selena and Leonhard as they started to offer suggestions.

“Separate him from his security detail and then hit him with all that we’ve got. The guy isn’t a robot, so he’s going to be hard to get down… Any thoughts about the Flunky Squad that he’s gathered? Robot Psycho Girl and her whole floaty 'protector of Mantle' bullshit?”

A few suggestions flew, but there was no consensus yet. Nora found that they seemed to have little skill in actually planning out something like Jaune did.

“Eh… If you need a hand, why not ask Jaune? I mean, we did kill the Winter Maiden without anyone being wise to us doing so until we did it, head aside.”

The seven sets of eyes looked at her and she felt rather tiny, as the seven shook their head at once.

“No. He’s still our little brother. He’s done enough, besides running for the stupid council position… But this would probably make him the sole member of the council when we’re done with the target… hmm. Might be a good idea.”

_‘Not really… He just did what he had to in order to keep out of jail. It was all to prevent another Pyrrha from being made. He doesn’t put as much thought into things as you think he does.’_

The doorbell rang, and the Arc sisters looked at each other, whilst Leonhard got up, the man’s hands holding his weapons, as they tensed up, pulling the door open after checking through the lens who stood there, his features hardening a little.

“We’ve got company, children. Selena? Get ready, we’re getting a surprise visit. A warm welcome is what they should get.”

Nora didn’t know what to expect, but she was ready. Every Von Arcadia looked ready to go and wield their weapon, as Selena Von Arcadia stood at the ready, her previous aroused behaviour fading, as she seemed to steel herself.

* * *

Weiss glanced at her sister as she stood there, her face looking as serious as if father had risen from the dead. Next to her, Klein fidgeted for a moment, as the man’s face switched between casual cheer and the height of stress.

“How do you mean ‘I may get arrested’, Winter?”

Her mother Willow spoke, as she looked sternly at her daughter, Winter looking like she’d rather be elsewhere, as her head turned to Klein, before they rested on her.

“Moth- No, _Willow_ , the situation in Atlas is volatile. With the election having already ignited several of the segments, no matter who wins the elections, there will be someone who will not be getting what they want, and that will spur people on to make Mantle. I’m cautious, and- It’s better that I get arrested, if it meant that you get to be safe.”

Her mother’s face darkened, but the woman didn’t speak up further, her expression changing from hesitation to something else. A quiet moment passed, before her mother smiled in understanding.

Yang grabbed her hand, comforting her with a touch, the warmth of the flesh and blood hand at odds with the cool metal of the other arm which had been lost due to mad Taurus disease. She liked it.

“Weiss, I’m… I’m not your biological sister. You need to know that, and it doesn’t _change_ anything between us.”

_‘Father had an aff- no, wait, mother had an affair?!’_

A low whistle from Yang, as Winter looked apologetic, the expression on her face didn’t change.

“Mother cheated?”

Weiss asked, relief in her voice at the thought. Her mother’s face didn’t really look very pleased as she spoke up, Winter’s serious features twisting a little, as she shook her head.

“My father is Nicholas Schnee, Weiss. I’m your mother’s sister, but your father is listed as my father, it would have been a public relations nightmare for the company.”

Yang smirked, nudging her a little, Weiss turning to her.

“So… I guess he was a dirty old man, going after a second woman whilst still married to the first. Sounds like my dad. Summer and him never married, because Raven never filed for divorce.”

Weiss knew that it wasn’t true, or at least, hoped that it wasn’t true. Her mother smiled softly.

“Mother died in childbirth, and father was alone for… _quite_ a while. It was a little ‘oops’ moment that ended in Winter being born. Winter, my dear… I’ll still love you just as much as I’ve always done.”

It didn’t matter to her. Sister? Aunt? Winter was who she was, stern and focused and drive, yet with a warmth in her that made her loved by the rest of the family. Whitley spoke up quietly, seated in the chair as he was.

“You’re family, Winter. Aunt or sister, we’ll do our best to protect you. Mother loves you, with the whole circumstances around Mister Arc.”

Weiss knew that Whitley was just trying to soothe their sis- _aunt_ , Winter’s smile warming up again, as she sighed, the Scroll ringing twice, a ringtone that was like a preppy popular tone that totally didn’t fit Winter at all.

“Eh, yes?”

Winter was speaking with a hesitant tone, as a blonde woman looked fresh out of a party with her blonde hair pulled into a single ponytail, a little like mom had her hair when she was casually trying to interact without too much effort put into things.

“Soooo, I said I’d call you Winnie, so, come and expect twelve of us for tonight! Jaune will be eh… I don’t know where he’s at, I sent him a message but he said that he was ‘out with a friend’, so if he’s doing something scary, I’d- Hey! That’s MY box! Leave some for me, you two blow-up doll bitches! I’m still your older sister!”

The woman turned her head away and Weiss got to see a few blondes scattered in a dingy room, someone moving in the background, a woman who looked a little like her mother with pale hair and a very skimpy-looking dress moving in the background, something pinging on her memories about the woman.

_‘Oh! It’s the woman and her husband- Oh!’_

So, they had been the arc family’s patriarch and matriarch. She was glad that Jaune didn’t have that high a sex drive, but…

_‘Oh, what fun might it have been?’_

A hand around her throat, rutted against the wall in some Beacon hallway, groaning and moaning his name as she would let him touch every little inch of her, that stamina just…

_‘I am not going to fantasize about him. I will be chaste and friendly and loving, and I most certainly don’t want my sis- aunt to dress in her Specialist outfit whilst he’s cuffed to the bed, and me wearing a copy to just play naughty specialists and the prisoner with him. Nope. There won’t be police brutality, nope. Weiss Life Matters…’_

She was in need. She was gripping Yang’s hand really hard, and the woman seemed to have returned.

“Ah, sorry for all this. We don’t always get to decide. Mom and dad are busy, so-“

Winter’s smile was as pretty as it always was, as she straightened herself out a little in order to look as formal as she could.

“We’ll be glad to host you. It has been a while since the Schnee family has hosted important guests. The Von Arcadia family is welcome at our table.”

Willow spoke up, as the oldest member of the family present, and Jaune’s sister, for it had indeed to be one of his sisters, smiled brightly.

“Many thanks. My sister just got some Vacuan takeout, but it doesn’t quite agree with everyone’s stomach, so eh, please serve something Mantlean, if you can. Valean cuisine isn’t bad, but since we’re coming for dinner, I figured it’d be a- Yeah, you don’t have to sign at me, Rosa. We’ll be watching the election as well, so it’s not going to be anything but a complete win for our little brother.”

The woman was distracted by a sister, it seemed, as Weiss her mother Willow smiled, speaking up with that self-assurance that could have only come from having the hope reignited within her heart. Weiss liked to see this side of her mother, collected and warm and loving.

“I’m sure that we can arrange for something. Your brother is owed a debt that is hard to repay, as he has brought us some peace, which I am grateful for, _personally_.”

The crude smile on the woman’s face was something that she’d never have seen on Jaune’s face, clearly more akin to her mother than Jaune was. The Arc sister that spoke was a little cruder than Saphron Arc had been as she spoke up.

“Oho, he might just have got to put the moves on you then! The drama-watching wasn’t for nothing anyways! Some Shy and the Ugly vibes here, hah! We’ll be… Hmm, don’t worry, I’ll give him a call and he’ll call you, Mrs Girlfriend. Now, where did I…”

The conversation didn’t go much further, as someone seemed to bump into the woman, a face coming into view that was familiar.

“Hello there, I’ll just keep her contained. Star’s generally known for her crude commentary, so don’t take it personally, Miss Schnee.”

Her mother smiled, as Whitley and her looked amused by the comment from Saphron Arc, a tremor shooting through Weiss her body, as she realized that the Winter Maiden was amongst them, that there was a danger that General Ironwood and Ozma would get their hands on the Winter Maiden.

_‘That’s not good.’_

There undoubtedly was a reason for the family coming to dinner, so she’d have to wait and see.

“Tonight will be the night that our little brother will get elected to the council of Atlas… And there’ll be a few little hitches on the road. Our parents will be a little later than expected, a bit of a side-objective, can’t really explain more than that. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe as can be, we’ll personally guarantee that there won’t be anyone disturbing a pleasant family dinner. Gran-gran always said that dinner was one of the means where a family should be together, and that it was the most important meal of the day.”

_‘I think that’s a saying from the old days of Mantle. Mother mentioned that a few times when we were still young.’_

It had been years since her mother had been the kind and warm woman that always had time for her, the love that she showed for the family never absent from her eyes, a hug and a kiss never too far away from her mother’s mind.

“We will receive you, as befits of a member of the nobility. I remember that lady Guinevere Von Arcadia was a duchess, so there will be no slight on our part.”

The mild tweak of a smile on the woman’s face made Weiss happy to see that the woman hadn’t lost her warm personality since Argus had happened.

“Is everything okay with your wife and little Adrian?”

Saphron’s face turned almost wooden with the smile, as she grimaced, rather than smiled.

“They are fine. My… _roommate_ and her child are… are doing fine, Weiss.”

Weiss felt bad for the woman, knowing that the whole family might not fully approve of her choices, but it was still something that had been a moment of worry.

“Good, I… about the whole eh- thing. Sorry, I-“

The blonde’s hair was blue at the roots, a remnant of hair dye or something, if Weiss knew her cosmetics. You had to have a good eye for the stuff if you mingled with the upper crust of society.

“It’s okay. Great-grandmother was… _displeased_ when she heard of my living arrangements. It’s water under the bridge now.”

Mantle had no bridges, but there was a mining term that used a ‘bridge’ as a theme, but Weiss forgot what it was all about. She’d never had much interest in crude jokes, though her mother had said that it was ‘not proper for a young woman to say’.

_‘I wonder what it was…’_

She’d be a good host to Jaune’s family, as would her sist- _aunt_ and her little brother.

“Well, we’d best start moving. Jaune will call, and we’ll contact him when he’s ready… so yeah, expect him to call in an hour or two or something. We’re going to be moving again after we’ve had lunch, but… Yeah, business. Going to be a busy night for some of us, hmm…”

The call was suddenly disconnected and Winter was left staring at the Scroll, before she shook her head, her eyes darkly peering at the display picture.

_‘We slept with your boyfriend, Winter.’_

She wasn’t feeling guilty about that. It was fun. She was with Yang right now, and she’d have to put in some work for a ‘Congratulations on becoming a Councilman, Jaune’ party. As far as the polls looked, he was ready to pull in the lead without much of a hassle, because the debate had been well-received by the majority of people with a popular opinion going to Jaune’s appearance and his promises, as well as the help that he had given with the construction of the wall with the aid of the SDC.

_‘I’d best go and make myself look pretty. They are his family, after all.’_

“Woah, someone’s got a look on her face like she wants to get some nookie… Going to make yourself pretty for Jaune, Weiss? That’s not a good girlfriend, heh.”

The blonde at her side grabbed her by the neck and pulled her face into her cleavage, leaving her to get a face-full of female flesh, and she most certainly was _not_ envious of having such lovely frontal bumpers at all. Winter had a very nice set, as well as her mother and she was still growing!

She’d have a wonderful set as well, or else she’d have to _buy_ them! Round! Jiggly! Not ‘flat-as-a-board-but-visible-under-a-microscope’!

“Perhaps, Yang. Are _you_ going to be okay, being around a mass of blondes?”

The cocky grin on her girlfriend’s face was something that she liked. She may have to go and accept a brief shower with Yang, purposefully making sure Yang was _extra_ clean.

“Hey, if they're all hot like me, there’ll be more for you to snack on, Weissey. I'm think we can bus-Schnee with some of the Arcs, yep.”

She was going to punish Yang for that comment, as her mother and her aunt made a face, clearly not so appreciative of the humour of her partner.

* * *

“Thanks, Ruby.”

The girl had been open about what she’d felt, and he’d been somewhat open about what he’d felt. The loneliness, the hopelessness and the pain, and the torment within his heart. No word was spoken about Ren and Nora, nor was there a spoken word about Blake, as they sat on one of the benches, Ruby eating a hot bun whilst he snacked on a grilled sausage, Ruby’s eyes glistening with the tears that were crystallizing when they got to her cheeks.

“No, it’s- fine. I shouldn’t have thought you as evil. I- I know that you’re still someone who loves the people around you. You’d never go for power, you-“

He turned his head to the side as he sighed.

“Sometimes, you have to play the game of politics, Ruby. For the people of Mantle to be safe, you would have to sacrifice things…. I couldn’t save Casey and Pyrrha, Cinder…”

The power of the Fall Maiden rested within Nora. A chill inside his heart was growing, as he realized that Nora would have to be restrained in order to keep the secret. Maybe a mask of some sort to hide her activation of the power?

_‘The first rule in the art of warfare is deception.’_

He knew that denial of resources would win any war. The Mantle-Mistral offensive had been the driving force to cut off the Vacuan Dust reserves, and it had failed. Great-grandmother had been able to escape unharmed, but the others…

He felt soft lips press against his own, Ruby’s eyes looking into his own, a warmth burning through the frozen hail inside his heart, that frozen sensation of being as cold as ice when you did your best work.

“Cinder is dead now… So, does Winter have the power of the Maiden?”

He looked away, before he shook his head. He knew that if he answered, there would be no reason for Winter to remain safe.

“She’s not exactly much of a maiden anymore, Ruby. No, I… I don’t know where the power is right now. Her head was cut off, but the body was left in the building.”

It was a truth, but it didn’t confirm that he’d been the one to go and do it. It wasn’t the truth he’d always wanted to say, but the truth that would conform to the norm. He hadn’t indicated that Winter and him had killed Cinder, but that the body was beheaded was a fact.

“Ah, okay. Will you be okay?”

He hoped that he would, but it wasn’t something that he could be certain about. Winter was someone who had said that she would not abandon him, who said that she would stand with him against whatever had come in their path, a hope for something that was yet unseen.

_‘Atlas is such a messy place.’_

He liked Vale better.

He was just in the process of seeing Ruby off when he was messaged on his Scroll by an anonymous number, a random digit number, with a request for a call. He looked around and took it.

“Hey there, little doll… So, we’ll be appearing at the Schnee place tonight for dinner. Be there, and let them know that we’re all coming. Your favourite playmates are a treat to talk to, so they’ll be there as well.”

_‘Oh dear, that’s a lot of blondes… Mom and dad will be there, so will the sisters…’_

“Twelve seats, Jaune, for when we all get introduced to your girlfriend and her family.”

That made sense. Ren, Nora and the rest of the family, him included.

_‘I hope that we’ll have a nice dinner.’_

It would be something to hope for. He remembered dinner with Casey and her daughter, of that feeling of warmth that helped chase the cold out of his body, that warmth that had been pure and loving, for a man such as he.

Casey had never judged him for the deeds that he had done, she had just accepted him and comforted him when he needed it. Ren and Nora had been gone, and she had shared herself with him, a baby within her stomach now gone…

_‘Best not tell the others… They’d want to resurrect Cinder so they’d be able to kick her ass all over again…’_

Mom and dad would be angrier at the woman for doing what she’d done. Children were still something that were a sore point, with gran-gran having lost her daughter when mother and aunt Salome had still been alive.

Jaune arrived at the Schnee manor sometime before six, stepping out of the cab and walking up the path to the house, the door opening before him, the butler standing there in wait for him.

“Mister Arc, welcome to the Schnee household. The lady of the house has requested that I escort you to your room in order for you to be freshened up for dinner tonight.”

The man was polite and in function, ready to serve the people of the house, just as he’d always done for the years he’d been in service to the family, the man’s eyes switching colours for a moment, the warm smile on the man’s face not an illusion.

“Thank you for bringing Lady Winter back to the household. It is a relief to see that she still has love for her family.”

He didn’t respond to the butler’s words, as he walked to the room that had been set aside for him, the master bedroom, undoubtedly due to some sort of gratitude from Willow, his sister-in-law if he wedded Winter.

“Could you help me get out of the armour? It’s eh, a bit hard to do at the back.”

The butler’s hands moved with an expert touch to the straps, something that was undoubtedly due to the years of service that the man had already given to the Schnee family, the deep breath that Jaune took after getting out of the armour one of relief. He could feel the weight on his shoulders, hear the spirits of those who had died whisper at him, an illusion that only seemed to come from guilt, according to Aurum, who’d been the medical specialist of the family.

“Enjoy your shower, Mister Arc. Do not hesitate to ask for anything that you wish for.”

He stepped into the hot shower a moment later, the butler tidying up the armour, letting the water wash over his body again. It was unnecessary to shower twice in a day, but it was something that he should do. His sisters were family, his father and mother were family and they were coming for dinner, all ten of them together in one room. It'd be just like the birthdays that were celebrated on one day every year, because work often called his parents away.

_‘Hmm…. I wonder whether they’ll wear dresses or whether they will wear their business outfits…’_

The water was a distraction from his mental state, the low point of his thoughts starting to rise again. He was alone now, aware of the solitude that he’d endured since the death of Casey and Pyrrha, the feeling in his heart that he was just not able to shake, the weight on his soul of the crimes that he had committed.

“I’m a murderer, a villain and a traitor.”

The words were harsh, his hands bracing himself against the tiled stall of the shower, the weight of the world pressing down on his back, flattening him against the grindstone of pain and despair. He had felt so low, so terribly despondent, the fear inside him growing, as he knew that he would never be able to walk in the light as an honest man again.

_‘A murder to save the people I love, a murder to prevent the power of magic handed to someone I loved and a murder brought on by revenge…’_

The game that was being played between Ozma and his former wife was something that took lives, the ancient immortals playing their game and involving the people as pawns. There was no relief in the world for them, only the pain of death that waited for them, his eyes having seen too much, having planned too much.

He had always been praised for the quick way that he could change tactics, the twists of the human mind like a choice that he could make, as a general should be able to, his great-grandmother had said once. The woman had been approving of his skills, something that had been an exciting thing when he’d been young and still had believed the stories of the past, of the great triumphs during the first few years of the Great War.

“Jaune?”

The quiet voice of Willow Schnee reached his ears and he turned around to see the woman stand there at the bathroom door, dressed in the same outfit that he’d seen her in the first time that they’d met, the expression on her face maternal, caring and warm, as she entered.

He responded in the fashion of a man, her eyes glancing down at his manhood, the faint dusting of red on her cheeks that faded slowly as he hardened, standing at attention. It was a normal reaction, the woman having been more than welcoming, as his girlfriend’s sister… apparently.

“Winter told my children of her origins. Your…. Your family, what are they like? Are they much like you, or are they different?”

He shut the shower off, the water dripping down his body. The woman could easily slip closer, but she remained there, the chill in his heart not fading for an instant as he thought about what he’d done with the woman and her daughter only a day before.

“They’re a little crazier, but they are good people. My whole family…”

He wasn’t sure how to phrase it, but they were good people in his book. They killed people, they made people disappear and infiltrated places to bring them down all for the Lien.

“They’ll love you all. We’re always taught that you should never abandon family and friends. Great-grandmother always said that you should never turn your back on those who stood to fight with you. It’s a little silly, but mom and dad are good people, even if eh…”

He nearly had said that they had a high sex drive, but that was perhaps a little too crude. This was still going to be a sister in law, and he’d had sex with the woman. The wrinkles on the older woman’s face stood out, as she exhaled softly.

“They’re like you?”

He shook his head. His mother was explosive in her temper and her love, whilst his father was more of an even-tempered man.

“They kind of like sex a bit too much.”

Willow Schnee smiled, as she reached and grabbed his manhood, giving a light tug.

“You seem awfully contained, Mister Arc… Father would have wanted someone like you to marry my daug- _sister_. It’s hard to change something that you’ve been saying for years, Jaune.”

The woman’s slip-up wasn’t unexpected. Speak a lie for long enough and it would become the truth for you. Her hand let go of him, as the woman smiled.

“I will wear a fitting evening dress for the night. I have asked Klein to prepare rooms for your family, in the case that they would like to stay the night.”

That was a wise thought, though the danger of that many members of the family in one location was still prevalent, though it would be busier with the election results coming in around eight in the evening.

“I’m sorry.”

He apologized automatically, reminded of his partner, who had apologized often as well. The weight that rested on his shoulders was growing again, the woman’s eyes observing him for a moment as she came closer and kissed him on the lips, her hand laid against his bare chest.

“You made my daughter and son happy and safe, Jaune. My husband is dead, my father has been avenged and my sister is with me again. I am allowed to thank the man who saved our Schnee family, right? Since you are together with Winter… well…”

A smirk on the woman’s lips, one that made him be reminded of Weiss at her core, the faintest hint of that spunky, uppity ‘I will not be your good porcelain doll’ look that Weiss had at times, as the wrinkles seemed to fade away, the white hair framing her features.

“I am particularly fond of Sixty Shades of White’s third instalment, featuring a pair of sisters who fall for the same man… By all means, let’s read that together with Winter, shall we? I will admit…”

She kissed him again, a kiss that was private, intimate, the perfume that she wore like a haze in his mind.

“I will admit that most men these days are keener on the lack of emotions that our dear General Ironwood cultivates… And a heroic young man who prevented my sister from getting the Maiden powers definitely deserves a reward.”

She turned around, the round rump bumping against his groin, the feeling of the cloth rubbing up against the sensitive head, the woman’s head glancing over her shoulder, and a teasing smile on her lips before she spoke up.

“I expect you to show me Atlas from lowly Mantle, Mister Von Arcadia. The Schnee family is nothing if not diligent in supporting a man who has earned the right to be called the husband of one of its members.”

That was an old way of saying ‘I want you to give me many orgasms’, but Jaune smiled hesitantly at the woman, as he wondered what Winter would say of the circumstances, of what she would think of him after he’d had sex with her older sister.

_‘Ren and Nora are alive, and they’re going to come here. Mom and dad are here too, and the others. We’re going to be fine, because we’re all strong, I’m not as weak as I was before.’_

He had his Aura, he had the power that it granted his body and he had slain a man who had been arguably one of the most lethal assassins in the world. Tyrian Callows had been a man who could be counted on to kill you dead, his skill in the art of murder not inconsequential, yet he had died.

_‘We’re going to make this.’_

He just had to find out a way to make the family understand that he wasn’t going to be their little Jaune anymore. Saphron and Star were the most open to things, but the others were rather conservative or uncaring. Rosa was the only one who understood the frustrations that he suffered, so he’d put his Lien on her backing him up! He owed her a piggyback-ride or something… Well, that wasn’t too much of an issue.

“I’ll make sure that you’re all safe. Mantle, Atlas… Family comes before everything. I’m a hypocrite, a liar and a thief, so I don’t know how things will go, but I will do my best, Willow.”

The woman smiled warmly.

“You’ve already stolen the heart of a Schnee, Jaune. I would use the body gel though. You smell a little of sweat. A dirty man shouldn't be at the table, unless he wishes to ravish the lady of the house upon it.”

Her laughter was filled with the amusement, as he realized that he’d been interrupted mid-shower, and he got back into the shower to do just that. He wanted to make sure that he looked as proper as he could.

The frozen tempest within his heart had lightened a little as he looked into the mirror, grooming his hair into the perfect ‘sexy man’ style that Nora had indicated, knowing that his mother and father would want to see him at his best.

It was a small knock on the door that warned him as the butler went to answer it, the door swinging open and a loud – “Hellloooooo~!!” – came from seven throats, as his sisters stood there neatly aligned, Saphron the brightest in her smile, whilst Rosa looked as petite as she could, the bowler hat on her head slightly misaligned.

They were all armed, save for Saphron, the faint smile on Saphron’s face, as he caught sight of Star her weapon wrapped around her arm, a long thin line of wire that wrapped around the wrist for easy pulling, though he’d never really asked for the specifics.

“Ooh, nice place, you’ve definitely had the pleasure of being the big boy of this place, huh?”

_‘Oh no…’_

Star was rambling again, as the sisters gathered around him. He’d opted for a white suit that’d been offered, belonging to the former master of the house. Nicholas Schnee’s formal-style suit had been offered with a quiet ‘You should look appropriate of a Schnee, Jaune’ by Winter, who had joined him. The dark blue evening dress with the red earrings that she wore made her only look prettier, as his sisters seemed to back off and something hit his legs, knocking him down.

Rosa appeared above him, placing her heel on his chest and staring down at him.

“Dibs.”

His gaze followed the leg, staring at a bald groin, as she smirked. He swallowed a little. For some reason, he didn’t think that she’d have the thought to be wanting a piggyback ride.

“Eh, Rosa? We’re still in the Schnee house, we’re not going to be able to sleep in the same bed together, or when we had-“

The foot came down, as the scar on Rosa’s throat stood out.

“Dibs, Jaune. When big sister wants something, little brother shuts up.”

Her pussy was looking like it was getting excited. He swallowed. That wasn't good.

“Rosa, stop scaring Jaune. You have dibs, sure… Don’t go blasting down the door next time. That’s our job.”

Hannah said, her eyes glinting at him as she placed her foot on his chest as well, her tongue rolling over her lips whilst she inhaled deeply.

“Sooooo… Where are these Schnee sluts that you’ve been shacking up with, huh? Mom’s curious.”

Trust his sisters to be curious too. The crudeness was unexpected, but he knew that Aurum regularly slipped into the rougher verbiage of the people she worked with. A doctor worked with other doctors, but he’d thought she’d be in Vacuo by now.

“They’re not _sluts_ , Aurum… I’m-“

He looked back at the large stairs, Willow Schnee having appeared. He wasn’t going to say it, but the Schnees had a different expression of love. Kinky love. Weiss asking him whether it was okay to call him daddy whilst he gave her ovaries a creamy filling…

_‘Yeah… Hmm… I don’t think Winter gave a good impression when we were intimate together. I’m starting to become like dad…’_

He was going to keep the Schnee and his family safe, no matter the cost.

“Welcome to my home. There are just seven of you? I was informed that there would be twelve of you coming.”

Saphron took over immediately, to prevent Star from asking the crude questions, or Aurum to follow that up with a lewder remark. The high sex drive was something that was more like a disease than just something of a personality quirk.

“Mother and father, as well as Nora and Ren, are still handling an assassination. It should be on the news, but who knows… it’s all to make sure that Jaune gets what he deserves. Now… We should be asking for your help though… We need to watch the election results, probably before dinner. Mother and father should be here at nine, with the other guests.”

Saphron was always so concise, and he sighed contently at the comfort that he felt, as Rosa ground her heel against his chest.

“Dibs, Jaune.”

He was allowed to get up after she'd stepped off him, as Star smiled brightly.

“Soooooo, how’s our little brother in the sack, huh? A cute guy like him, all free and single and with a big- Oww, Saphron! I’m just asking her whether he’s got mommy issues or not.”

Willow’s smile looked a little strained at being asked such an incredibly blunt question. He remembered who’d given him the advice of ‘If she says no, just try harder’, and he knew that this was going to be an issue.

“I was the only one to not pass out upon first penetration, Miss Von Arcadia. My…. Female family members, did not survive it whilst remaining conscious. It may perhaps be rather a question of whether you are able to tame such a man for your own efforts at a relationship.”

_‘Oww… That one was below the belt.’_

Star smirked broadly, nudging Saphron in the side.

“See? He’s a mommy lover! Our own little Jaune, Milfslayer supreme! Dad’s going to freak when he finds out that Jaune’s been putting the moves on a mom lookalike.”

He supposed that there was similarity within the appeal. Mom looked like a very pale albino version of Willow, albeit with longer hair that often was dyed in different colours to make infiltration easier.

Star groaned as Aurum and Saphron nudged her right in the ribs simultaneously.

As they sat down at the table that could seat twenty people, the spaces already made up for the members that were to attend dinner, he caught a look from Weiss, who was seated next to Yang, a surprise to see, yet something that was expected in a certain fashion of thinking, as he watched how Weiss shuddered a little at the looks that she got, Winter and Willow sat at his sides, the head at the table dedicated to Willow, as the leader of the family.

“And now, for the final results…”

The television was playing the official Atlas News Network, the votes being counted, as districts started to colour in different colours. His glass of juice still stood untouched, as the name of Sands and Butter disappeared off the tally marks, Hill and his own climbing. He could see that thirty-eight of the districts had already been counted, and it was a slight lead that he had, as another district turned to the colour that Robyn Hill held, and the next few results came in, another turned for his election, netting him a slight advantage.

“It seems that Jaune Arc will become Councilman, unless- Oh! The final two district votes are tallied and it seems there has been a slight error! The popular vote goes to Mister Arc, but it is Miss Hill who stands to represent Mantle in the Atlas Council! Our congratulations go out to Miss Hill, a young up-and-coming woman who undoubtedly will do great things for our Kingdom!”

_‘Well… That’s not good.’_

The butler arrived, as Robyn Hill appeared in front of the screen, dressed as she was in her Happy Huntress uniform. A smile that didn’t reach her eyes was on her face and Jaune grimaced visibly.

“Thank you for your votes! I have won this election and will do my best to make sure that Mantle survives to live another day! Mister Arc, you were a worthy opponent. Thank you for your contributions to Mantle, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“Lady Willow, the Ace Operatives of the Specialists are here with an arrest warrant for Mister Arc.”

_‘Robyn… oh, I see how the game is being played…’_

The frozen heart chilled even further as he watched his sisters glance at each other, before Saphron smiled.

“What do you want to do, Jaune?”

It was obvious.

James Ironwood was responsible for this, and the Winter Maiden was something that the man and his shadowy master would want. Ozma had some cards left to play, it seemed.

“I will turn myself in, as the law dictates. We’re very law-abiding people, after all. As long as they don’t know who we are, they can guess a lot…”

Weiss and Yang looked startled by his surrender, but he knew that he was going to play the most dangerous game of all.

_‘I guess this is what happens when you try to do good and the people make you into a villain…’_

* * *

**For the people who wish some clarification on the course of events –**

**Jaune runs into Willow around 10 minutes post-V7-E-8, meets Willow and is under the illusion that she’s a member of staff. They fuck, they screw, they hide the salami, and they part. It hits him then that she’s their mother at the end of the chapter.**

**A dinner date with Willow, Winter and Weiss, Jaune swallows a poisoned appetizer and Neopolitan (Rosa Arc) attempts to execute Winter Schnee, on order of Cinder. He misattributes the smell of Cinder to Rosa’s cigar-smoking, and Rosa abandons ship. Winter accepts the offer of a date, charmed by what she’s seeing.**

**Winter and Jaune date, and he denies her sex. It grows roots within the chivalric image that she’s got of him, and being one of Atlas best Specialists, she decides not to waste time and experience dating. Love is unreasonable and when they have sex, it is different, because there is a connection. Weiss starts to feel regret. Winter's affection mostly is because she grew up with the stories of a noble knight saving a princess. When they have sex, you can see that her pubes are black, which is the first major hint that one Schnee is not a Schnee of the common brand. This is a hint about her true ancestry.**

**Jaune finds out that Winter is to be the Winter Maiden, having had flashbacks to Pyrrha, and gets along with the thirsty milfs, among which Casey and Nicta stand out the most out of their personality. He’s started to just not name little Pyrrha out of the pain that it causes him, as well as the minor breakdown that he suffers. Finding out that the girl you like and would like to date is going to die by being the soul puppet in the endless war between immortals is a pretty shocking thing. Winter realizes that she felt more for him than expected and is crushed, whilst Weiss spots opportunity. He gets his hands on sleeping pills at a pharmacy.**

**Ren is given instructions to fake a row with Nora, which he takes a little too seriously, whilst the cookies are spread in order to give a kind-natured image. The blow-up with Nora brings her to team RWBY’s room, after he talks with her to make her follow the plan, and the reassurance that she gives him that she’d follow him is one of the crucial parts that reaffirms his belief in a happy ending. He puts enough sleeping pills in the smoothie that is being fed to Oscar, who falls asleep and Jaune steals the Relic, asking later whether anyone heard a thing, out of paranoia.**

**The commentary about ‘blurry video imagery’ was a lie from him in order to get Weiss to come with him, but he improvises. He witnesses Jacques Schnee abuse his wife and afterwards when he wears the armour of Nicholas Schnee, he spots Tyrian, who he disables through the use of a brief decoy and an aura boost to his arm strength. Getting beaten up with a stop sign, yay.**

**Tyrian was the key to actually assassinating the Winter Maiden and Jacques Schnee with his venom, which is why he was kept alive and why Ren could become an imposter-Tyrian for a short moment, in order to fool Arthur Watts into being their little bargaining chip. A maniac is easy to put down, but someone who has knowledge? Not so much. He’s no Werner Von Braun, but he’s smart. Nora and Ren both have made the vow of loyalty to him, which is something that he doesn’t take as seriously as they do, because he’s already made the decision to become the sacrificial lamb, so that the people he loved could live on.**

**Jaune choking Blake and calling her out on her race and the actions that they have done was something that might seem out of character, but it has quite a lot of reason behind it if you realize that he’d been interrogating Tyrian, a maniac who has a fetish for saying the most disturbing yet truthful things about everything, and you _might_ get a little disturbed when the teammate of a person you consider your friend goes and says ‘Oh, Robyn Hill knows of the Amity project’. Blake just Anne Franked the top-secret plans to someone who could betray them at any point in time with no consequences. Go Blake. For the revolution.**

**It’s anger that was evoked by him seeing the worst of the worst happening, due to his state of paranoia and already strained and stressed mental state of being. Was it wrong? Sure. It was wrong, and he does realize that it was wrong, but that doesn’t discount that she said the wrong thing at the wrong time. If it had been two days later, he would’ve had enough time to get over the trauma of interrogating Tyrian and being told about what people would do to a silver-eyed girl and her Schnee best friend. Tyrian is a maniac, but he’s good at finding the weak spots in people’s armour, going by what he said about Emerald and Mercury.**

**A lot of the setup to actually getting to kill the Winter Maiden and showing her the images of his sisters in order to divert the power to one of them upon the death of the Maiden is done in the small sections over the time. He gets the idea to mix tea with poison when he goes there with Weiss, and Whitley’s weakness is something that he uses to make sure that Jacques Schnee is taken care of.**

**The actual assassination of Fria is solely possible because of Winter Schnee’s trust in him, James Ironwood’s dismissal of him as a possible threat to the order, Fria’s trust in Winter’s judgment and a bit of creative wording from Jaune. He messed up twice, but due to people’s assumptions, they either do not fully wish to rake over the hot coals and ask, or they figure that they heard wrong. It's a psychological trick. He's empathic enough to be able to act to convince people, but not good enough to keep it up for long. Communication in Remnant is not really stable, due to the CCT being a weakness. Villages and people disappear all the time, so it's not unreasonable for them to think. Ironwood trusts Winter, and Weiss and Winter are both convinced at that point that his family is dead, which is why Winter doesn't really cause a great deal of concern. It's not a lie when he says that he hasn't seen them in a while, and people fill that in to mean 'they're dead'. It's a common political tactic too.**

**Psychologically speaking, you get to see Jaune at his utmost depths during the moment when he realizes that he can’t be a hero anymore. As someone said in the comments, that’s the greatest loss that he can suffer, because he’d always wanted to be someone who was heroic. You’re astute enough to mention that, so praise from me for that.**

**Most of the characterization for Jaune is based on Volume 4-6, still raw from the death of Pyrrha and suspicious of Oscar. Paranoia, a good hint of good old-fashioned human nature and loyalty to his friends and wanting to act, rather than react. Ruby is mostly reactive, whilst her team is working with different ideals. Ruby, at her base level, is an idealistic optimist who thinks that they can keep moving forward, clinging to a child-like naiveté because she’s not had any significant loss (And I can hear the screaming of ‘BUT WHAT ABOUT SUMMER!?!’ already.) that affected her so significantly that it would lead to a pragmatic sense of self. Volume 5's confrontation at Haven shattered his positive view on people when Cinder just brutally dismissed him. He's not a good person in his own eyes. In his view, having all of his friends survive is more important than them actually liking him. It's a pretty martyr-like opinion to have.**

**Blake is Blake, and I do not dislike Blake, but her drive for being a champion of the oppressed and the marginalized is making me say that Blake Lies Matter. She’s ideologically compromised by being a member of a terrorist pro-Faunus faction that has been proven to be a faulty ideology. All of her relationships have been with people who have stalked her or hurt her in some fashion. Between psycho’s like Adam and Ilia, there is only one factor: Blake. She could be better if she was open about her views, but Blake is like a cat, never quite taking responsibility for her actions.**

**Yang and Weiss are interesting characters to write, because they are so radically different in their motivation. Weiss does not know what she wants, but she’s trying to experiment with all kinds of stuff. Yang is more cautious with Blake since she did the betrayal route, and when Blake ran off, Yang sort of gave up on Blake as a trustworthy person. She remembers the hurt at finding out that Blake wasn’t around anymore. Weiss is a bit hypersexual, which is not quite canon, because RWBY characters rarely talk about attraction or what their inner thoughts are, and Weiss just wants to experience a lot of things she’s only read about.**

**How’s this for a brief summary of what happened for the first phase of Party? And I kept it brief, because if I had to go into an in-depth reasoning about why character A does something, I’d be typing out another 11.000 word chapter or something. Trust me when I say that most of the things I write are grounded in a logical sense, even if the reader does not quite see it immediately. I'm trying, and eh, yeah, I don't know if the whole explanation was too technical or not, or whether I'm going to see whole thesis-level essays in the comments, but just a few of my notes about the first phase of the Party Project.**

**The next chapter will actually carry out the dinner starting with a Weiss perspective. Jaune expected to win, and so did everything else that knew his actual polling rate… Something happened.**

**On the subject of my health: I still live! Yay. My hospital fund has decreased by quite a bit, because some things aren't covered by insurance... like medical stuff that you need to buy at the shop. If you'd like to commission me:cyanidesinscommissions@gmail.com is the email address at which I take commissions. Your smut cravings pay for my healthcare savings! (Damn, that rhymes. It's true though. 14 euro's per BOTTLE! Eesh. I believe in quid pro quo. Something in return for something. That's fair in my book.)**

**Leave a comment if you'd like to!**


	25. It's a masquerade party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune, dinner and Weiss... And political issues!

**At least one Hill(ary) won an election 'fair and square'.**

* * *

Weiss wasn’t sure what to make of the family of Jaune Arc. They looked like any other family, but there was something in their eyes that made her feel like she was being judged. Yang sat next to her, watching the sisters of the young man who had charmed his way into her sister’s heart.

Her sister looked a little out of her depth as well, as the seven sisters of the young man spoke in very muted tones, little hints and smiles, the oldest members clearly making themselves the most audible to shroud the conversation of the others.

_‘What could have made them want to be so rude?’_

She could see that there were several daughters of Jaune’s mother and father, whoever they may be, who were more endowed in the chest department than she was, something that undoubtedly would have been something that her girlfriend would have commented on if she wasn’t staring so much.

_‘I hope he wins. General Ironwood is... is a bit too stifling.’_

It was important for him, as his freedom depended on whether he was elected Councilman or not. It was a balance that was being struck, one that was weighed against him, but it was important that he won. Freedom for her s- _aunt_ ’s boyfriend.

“So, what do you do?”

The question was asked to the youngest Arc sister, who looked at the blonde with a look that clearly held some sort of amusement.

“Stabbing little bitches. What do _you_ do, huh?”

The look on Yang’s face was dark, as she snarled, the young woman snapping her fingers and a set of mismatched eyes peered at her, before another snap of the fingers dispelled the illusion, her eyes glinting.

“Pleasure to meet ya. Non-professionally, that is.”

Winter made a gasping sound, Weiss looking at her s- _aunt_ , she really had to remember to call her sister- no, she was her _aunt_ , with a look of surprise.

“You’re the one who tried to kill us at the restaurant!”

_‘Oh, so there’s where I know her fro- HEY!’_

Rosa Arc pulled the hat off her head and did a small mocking bow.

“No thanks to my _goofball_ of a brother here. Our little brother has always had a habit of interfering.”

Aurum, Weiss thought her name was, spoke up, her eyes holding a bit of amusement in them as Rosa pouted.

“I still have dibs, Aurum. You know that he’s our only shot.”

Jaune was busy with talking with his sister Saphron, the homely woman looking completely at ease with the topic, even with her eyes looking a lot sharper than before in Argus. Weiss hoped that Adrian would be alright. Terra and Adrian must be somewhere safe, she hoped.

“Yeah, I know. We get saddled with insane mood swings and he gets saddled with balls of steel. Not fair, I know.”

A shared nod from the sisters around, and Weiss was definitely missing something.

“You’re safe, don’t worry. We don’t kill family. That’s one of the ground rules we’ve been taught.”

_‘That sounds like a good one.’_

Weiss noticed that the twin sisters seemed to be particularly interested in her sister, as Winter started to say something about family. Weiss had the valuable skill of tuning out the conversation, as Rosa Arc spoke in a whispering tone that barely reached higher than a speaking level with how she raised it.

“We’re trained to be the best. Yeah, I’m sorry. If I’d known my little brother was involved with you, I’d have blown lil’ miss Ash-face up with a Dust explosive.”

The look in Winter’s eyes was sharp, before it softened up a little, sighing. Winter was trying to get along with the blondes who would be their sisters-in-law if Jaune proposed.

“Well, it’s not like we’re going to be enemies now, I suppose we can bury the hatchet.”

There was a pause, as one of the sisters, the one who was called Aurum, gave a death glare at Rosa.

“One word, Rosa Alba, and I will make the next time I’m stitching you up _painful._ ”

Rosa Arc grinned a toothy grin at her older sister.

 _“Bite_ me. You’re just _jealous._ When we’re doing the robot guy, we’re going to make him suffer… well, one of us will. We’re all strapped and ready to blow, just in case.”

It wasn’t as elegant as she’d hoped, as Yang grinned suddenly.

“Anything for a girl’s best friend, or is that too much to hope for?”

The simultaneous snort from the Arc sisters was instant, and Weiss and Winter looked a little uncertain of what reference that was, it being Saphron Arc who spoke up.

“No, there’s no strap-on. We’re all carrying stuff we need for the job at hand. Now, Jaune… You were saying?”

_‘What’s their job?’_

Weiss wondered about that as the television was brought and the results came in. She could see the looks on the faces of the Arc family barely change, as the women pressed their lips together thinly as Robyn Hill made her victory speech. It was a silence that hung there for a moment.

Then Klein came to inform them that the Ace Ops were there and they had an arrest warrant for Jaune, and she saw his eyes freeze over with a cold, frozen rage. Something seemed to burn in those eyes, anger and something even fiercer than that anger, willpower that could shatter everything before it.

_‘Oh… Oh, you’ve got to stop looking at me like that. I’m just a humble rich girl needing your big barbarian shaft drilling down my tender womanhood. I have a girlfriend who will have to watch and coax it to my lips and- Ooh.’_

It was hot. She had a kink for men who could look at you and own you, and let you feel their warmth. It was more than her father ever did, so to see Jaune looking like that was like a breath of fresh air in stale surroundings.

He breathed in and out, a chill in the air with the cool look that appeared on his face, something that made the smiles on his sisters’ faces stand out, a little glimmer of mischief in those eyes, their expressions shifting a little as they waited for him to say something.

The Arc sisters glanced, but it was Saphron who spoke up, a smile curling on her lips.

“What do you want to do, Jaune?”

_‘He’s being asked for his opinion, for the course that he plots for them. It is not a question of what they would want to do, but of what he wants to do, as if he’s expected to know how to use them.’_

His eyes looked resolute and determined, something of the rugged cast of his features and the short hair that made him stand out even more that reminded her of the time they’d been together.

“I will turn myself in, as the law dictates. We’re _very_ law-abiding people, after all. As long as they don’t know who we are, they can guess a lot… And I guess I'm a full-fledged member of the family now, accused of treason, murder and grand larceny.”

There was something unspoken in those words, Weiss watching with trepidation as the smiles blossomed, shark-like and cruel, the dark cast to the eyes of the family members for the blonde man, as Star Arc sighed, her hand brushing through her hair as she sought to make sense of the words.

“So, want us to keep entertaining the Schnee’s until mom and dad arrive? Who’s going to be the lucky bitch who’ll be taken with you, Jaune?”

There was a pause that lasted, as Jaune looked at his older sister Saphron with a look.

“The General probably already noticed that Saphron Arc doesn’t live in Atlas anymore… Saphron? Think you’re good for a bit of acting? This time, you'll be the decoy.”

The woman brushed her hands through her hair and then groaned, as she pulled something out from between her legs. A small sack of cloth and something popped out of the mini-shift Dust container.

“Give me a moment, Saphron Arc looks like a civilian…Terra loves the dress, says it makes me look good.”

The dress was pulled off a moment later and Saphron got herself into the rather comfortable looking sweater, perfect for the cold weather, her arms tugged through the holes. Weiss marvelled at the ease that the woman changed clothes in full view of them without an ounce of shame, Jaune groaning softly.

“Ready… annnnd I think I hear them coming. Rosa? Make them look like the type that Mrs Schnee consorts with frequently, okay? Just a friendly celebration dinner with Councilman-to-be Jaune Arc.”

A little bit of a blush on the woman’s cheeks, as the dress was thrown onto the lap of Star and Saphron gave the most hesitant-looking smile, Weiss watching as people just changed. An older gentleman sat where Aurum Arc had sat, raising the glass to his lips, the twin sisters changing into a set of dumpy-looking overweight women, Rosa Arc changing to a statuesque brunette with dark chocolate eyes and very light skin, the dress a little slinky, her sister next to her appearing as a bespectacled young man.

“Jaune Arc, we are here to take you in! You’ve got the right to shut up and be quiet!”

Harriet Bree, in all her bombastic brashness, entered, Weiss watching how the woman took a moment to stare. Saphron’s smile was a little startled, but warm. It was faker than her smile when she had to stand next to father during press events, but she had plenty of experience with that.

“J-Jaune? What did you do? Did you do anything wrong?”

The question from Saphron Arc was a rather masterfully woven symphony of doubt and fear, something that he played in on. It was the setup to a distraction, a familial moment. None could deny that they looked the same, and their familiarity would sell the performance, if it truly was one. Saphron could have won an award for her acting skills, as it fooled even Weiss.

“Nothing, Saph. I’m- this is just a mistake, I swear, I’m innocent.”

The pouty expression on the woman’s face, the look that she adopted of civilian helplessness, the way that her fingers brushed the sweater out, as she looked at the people at the table with a sense of fear in her eyes.

“He’s not like this usually. My little brother is a wonderful man.”

Jaune smiled softly, the way that he did more of the kind of smile that a brother would give to his sister, as Winter got up from her seat and walked to the Ace Ops, undoubtedly to ask for clarification.

“I’m sorry, Mrs Schnee, for the rude intrusion. Are you Saphron Arc, spouse to Terra Cotta-Arc?”

The woman’s nervous expression was perfect, as if she were really thinking herself in danger. There were more members of the Ace Ops that were present, watching but not reacting, Marrow standing there at the door opening, looking rather uncertain.

“Y-yes? I came here from Argus, I- I knew a friend who could fly, and- and things were just going weird. J-Jaune went to Atlas, so- So I came to find him. The others are dead, after all.”

The look that was shared between several of the Ace Ops was meaningful, and the Scroll that was raised to the man’s mouth, as he spoke.

“We’ve got Saphron Arc with her brother, sir. The subject confirmed the death of her siblings and is the possible host. Your orders?”

The cool voice of the General spoke up, calmly speaking from the Scroll. Weiss knew that there would be something coming from the man, an order to bring an innocent woman in, just in case.

“Bring her in. If she resists, shoot her.”

The order was clear, and Saphron Arc shrank back. There was something that might look like fear written on her face, if you weren’t trained to look through the fakeness of upper society. The Ace Ops weren’t upper-crust Atlesians, her sister the only one who had the necessary training.

A gust of wind made the tablecloth shift a little, as Saphron’s eyes seemed to glow with the glow of a Maiden for a moment, her hands coated in flame, though it seemed to be more illusory than real. She caught sight of Rosa Arc’s lips pressing tightly together in the guise of illusions that she wore, as she focused that Semblance, Winter speaking up.

“General, please! You cannot arrest a woman without a warrant!”

Winter spoke with a pleading tone, the General’s voice not emerging from the speaker, the quiet from the speaker of the Scroll making Weiss nervous.

“Specialist Schnee, you are to return to the military headquarters after you have secured the Arc siblings. Our special issue seems to be resolved. As long as the special objective is completed, we can maintain ultimate integrity.”

The words made Winter look like a shadow of herself, as she took a deep breath and doubted. Jaune looked into Winter's eyes and gave a small nod.

“As you wish, sir.”

The clear-cut answer, the look on Winter's face, as she gave a mild smile to Weiss and to Willow, her sister joining Jaune, a quiet understanding in Winter’s eyes. Weiss had seen it before in the eyes of her older sister, when she’d still thought of her as that.

_‘Nothing changes between us.’_

Winter was planning on doing something to save the woman.

“Weiss…”

Yang growled at her side, her fists balled. Weiss looked at the brother and sister pair as they were led out of the room, the illusions remaining for a short while, as more sounds were audible.

“So, who wants to bet? Thirty Lien on Jaune letting the old tin can stand there and make it to the floor. Saph knows that the game is to get closer to the target before making them suffer, and his girl is with him as well. Oh, look, dad’s done.”

The television changed a little and there was a reporter that stood there before the crowd, the sisters giving a smirk, a vicious and cold one, Weiss thought, as the reporter looked somewhat distressed.

“Sudden commotion arose as Councilman Sleet was reported to be within the car that exploded a moment before! The whereabouts of Councilwoman Camellia are still unknown, as she has failed to arrive to congratulate Councilman Hill as scheduled. General Ironwood has urged for calm and reason, whilst promising to investigate the circumstances behind the death of Councilman Sleet!”

Star Arc leaned onto the table, giving a soft sigh as she rolled her shoulders.

“So easy to mislead people. The dear General is going to be looked at as a beacon of hope… Until they find the body of Councilwoman Camellia. Didn’t dad tell her to make it look like she was ‘assisted’ in her suicide?”

A small shared nod, as ice-water seemed to fill Weiss her veins. That was two councilmen dead, and Ruby’s Uncle and General Ironwood and Robyn Hill remaining. The shot of a sniper rifle somewhere inside the house sounded, and the sisters looked up in surprise.

“Oh, it seems we’ve got guests. Rosa? Distraction if we need it. Atlas is on the verge of tipping… They don’t _want_ another Romanov. We called the media, didn’t we? All according to the big plan.”

A nod from Aurum Arc, as Yang spoke up suddenly.

“What… what, who are you?”

The smile on Aurum Arc’s face was quite the broad one, more ominous than her younger brother, as there was some kind of viciousness in those eyes.

“People who go in and out and make the world explode, my dear. It’s not something that I’d recommend, if you like an honest job. Don’t worry, we’ve taken measures to make sure that we’re not followed.”

Weiss saw her mother turn paler by the moment, as she seemed to have a clearer overview of the situation. Politics had never been Weiss her forte, after all.

“You have created the foundation for a revolution… By the Brothers… The moment the media sees Jaune in chains, General Ironwood and Robyn Hill’s legitimacy will be void. The rumours about her colluding with Dr. Watts will rise, and it would be James Ironwood who was the connection between them.”

A smirk that was rather catty fit well on Star’s face, as she nodded once, to confirm it.

“That’s the plan. Gran-gran always planned ahead for _years,_ you see… Those who forget history…”

The other sisters continued the age-old saying.

“Are doomed to repeat it. The Romanov Revolution… Also called the Orange Revolution. Well… It seems we’ll be having a bit of a riot on our hands. Good thing that we’re _safe_ here. You are safe with us.”

* * *

He kept a calm face, whilst internally weighing his options, Winter walking at his side, with Saphron next to him, acting as calm and meek as she could, a housewife that had been blessed with the Maiden’s powers.

_‘You always were the best at acting meek, Saph… Let’s see whether it holds up. Mom and dad are needed, and we’ll have to get to wherever they are taking us.’_

If they did not shoot him outright, there would be a show of a trial. He caught sight of someone standing at the entrance, a red cloak there, silver eyes looking at him.

“Wait! You can’t just arrest them! She’s innocent!”

The high-pitched voice that Ruby used was high, as she stood there. There was no sign of Oscar present, to Jaune’s relief, the frozen blizzard in his heart swelling in force as he observed the reactions of the people around him. The Ace Ops were busy with gauging the damage potential of a fight, he could tell.

They did not fully trust Ruby, because she was not Atlesian.

“We have our orders, Miss Rose. Please, step aside.”

The girl planted her feet down, looking at Clover as he stood there.

“No! Arresting an innocent woman is wrong! Jaune is a meanie and he’s not a good person, but he’s still innocent until proven guilty!”

Ruby was idealistic, without any regard for what she said, but she was one of the good people in this world. Ren and Nora would have to work with her, in case he perished. It would be for the good of the world, he supposed, his father and mother knowing how to deal with Ruby’s exuberance…

“Are you going to interfere, kid?”

Ruby was just working up steam, he could see that. He wasn’t wearing his weapons, an oversight, he guessed, as he didn’t think he’d need it.

_‘So much for being paranoid…’_

The white suit contrasted Winter’s blue dress well, Saphron looking rather plain. Her eyes met his and there was a look at Clover, to which he shook his head a little. They’d make sure to get out of this tense situation together, or not at all.

“Yes! This isn’t right! We’re all friends, and General Ironwood may have the plan to use the power of the Winter Maiden to fuel Atlas to rise, but I’m not going to let my friend or an innocent woman die!”

Harriet moved aggressively forward after a signal from Clover, the ground cracking under her strides, moving faster than Ruby had anticipated, a shot glancing off Harriet’s Aura as Ruby was clotheslined, the shot cracking several tiles in the wall.

“Stay down, kid. This isn’t the fairytale you’ve been waiting for, this is grown-up business.”

Ruby was groaning, as she slowly got up, her face red with a mark already starting to show, Harriet standing over her like she wanted to put the girl down permanently. Saphron made a show of being affected, a shriek coming from her lips.

“Take care of her, Harriet. We’ll take her with us if she’s resisting. General Ironwood doesn’t want people interfering with our duties.”

Ruby looked at them and then grimaced before she took a few steps back.

“It’s not right! If you take him, you’ll be just as bad as Salem!”

The look on the man’s face was implacable, as he nodded his head.

“The General knows what’s best, Ruby. As long as we follow his lead, Atlas will never fall.”

He could see Ruby looking like she wanted to say something, but he spoke up before she could. Nora and Ren would be here, and his parents. That was eleven spots filled.

_‘At least it’ll be one hell of a party.’_

“Ruby! Just… let them arrest me. I’m going to get a trial, no matter how trumped up the charges are. General Ironwood is a man who does things by the book. We’ll be fine, and- and I’ll see you again.”

He hoped he would. Saphron gave him a look that indicated her displeasure, before she made the tears come, looking terrified.

“Trial? Jaune! What?”

The played shock and horror was something of a trait that’d been born into most of his siblings that had a gift for the art of getting close to their target and to make them suffer the death that had been ordered, something that he’d never managed. He was too honest, too blunt and too open with his facial features, something that would never make him popular with the girls, or so they claimed.

“I’m… It’s nothing, Saphron. Huntsman stuff. I never wanted to- But I had to. It was all so that Winter wouldn’t be hurt, you know me, sis.”

It was for Winter’s benefit, a hope to see the woman who trusted and loved him act as she should. Winter’s face showed shock, surprise and a frosty coolness in her eyes. Winter Romanov-Schnee, the daughter of Nicholas Schnee, the heir to the throne of Mantle the Kingdom, and Atlas the successor Kingdom.

“We’re going to have to talk, Jaune Arc. If you don’t tell me everything, I’ll make you feel like you are six again and you ruined mom’s cake.”

He winced. It was something that he’d been reminded of frequently, but his sister’s eyes met with his, her lashes blinking twice.

_‘That’s ‘stall for time’ if I’m right. Either mom and dad are coming here, or she’s planning something. Now… What could it be?’_

Terra worked with technology, and he tried to find the peace of mind to think, listening to the sounds around him, hearing the faint sounds of people outside. It was busy for some reason, undoubtedly because of the Ace Ops arriving here to take him in.

_‘So, there’s another mission for mom and dad, and it’ll likely be featuring a secondary objective… If great-grandmother could see me now, she'd point out that I’m a fool for going in unarmed…’_

He hadn’t expected it, figuring that he’d be safe… But that had been an illusion. His sisters could have dealt with the Ace Ops, he knew that much. They were good at their job, and they did not make a fuss. Saphron was chosen specifically for something, and it wasn’t something.

“Aww, Saph… Do you have to remind me of that?”

She nodded, putting on a face of indignant anger, something that she’d probably reserve for times when he wasn’t working with her.

“You froze the cake in the freezer, Jaune. You know what happens when you freeze a cake.”

_‘Okay, that’s a good cause for argument…’_

“I couldn’t have known that they’d be home so soon, Saph. I’d just have to redecorate again.”

Saphron’s head indicated Vine, who looked like he was ready to pull the two of them with those Aura arms out, Saphron shifting her stance a little, glancing at Marrow. She blinked once, with her right eye.

_‘Takeout? No, I don’t think he should be taken out first.’_

Two blinks, a small lick of the tongue over the left corner of his mouth, a very small nod from Saphron. Clover was the target, he would be the one who’d be the most dangerous with his Semblance. With Ruby running interference and distracting them, they’d have to do something.

_‘But when?’_

Saphron blinked once and she flashed her teeth, the lower lip bit down on. That was one of the beauties of the unofficial sign language that they’d been taught, there was just so much in a gesture.

_‘When we’re flying or driving, got it.’_

“It was _frozen_. You don’t feed six people frozen cake, Jaune Timotheus Arc!”

That was a kill for Winter too. Winter’s eyes looked hesitant, and Clover seemed to have enough of it.

“Miss Arc, please… General Ironwood is expecting us.”

Harriet joined them with a little disdainful sound, Ruby looking angrily in the distance.

“Jaune! Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Uncle Qrow! This is wrong!”

It was wrong, yes. Jaune knew that, as well as he knew that Ruby would be aghast and terrified to know what he had done in order to make sure that his friends lived to see the next year.

_‘All of the things I have done…’_

There was just not enough time. A paranoid general, a Huntress who had been given the seat and undoubtedly would be forced to sing the tune of General Ironwood…

_‘The things I have to do…’_

The door opened and cameras flashed, the press massing at a safe distance. It must've been known that he'd be in attendance here.

“Mister Ebi! May the Atlas News Network have a comment about the arrest of Mister Arc?”

The media was present, and he stood there next to his sister, who looked suitably terrified, acting the part of an innocent civilian caught within the crossfire. The cuffs around his hands that’d been fastened so as to not let him do anything against their wills had been a little tighter than he’d wished.

“Mister Arc, a word? Are you being detained under suspicion of treason? Is this some ploy from General Ironwood to eliminate his political opponents?”

A spunky-looking reporter with a big cap and a shock of carrot-orange hair and a set of eyes that looked like they wanted to leap in happiness at the sight of him, as the press people went wild. The seed had been planted, as it had been days before when Ironwood had detained him after the murder of Fria.

_‘The power of the Winter Maiden is safe…’_

“Move out, team. Get Mister Arc and his sister to the transport.”

They were the enemy. They were the enemy, and they would know what the world knew long ago. There was no friendship between the Specialists, and Winter looked at him.

“Are you illegally detaining an Argus citizen? Mister Arc’s sister is not suspected of any crime, according to the public database! This is in violation of the Mistral-Atlas treaty of VY10, Mister Ebi, could you shed some comments for the people to know?”

A voice that was somewhat lower, and he saw Ren there, wearing a typical suit and a cap to hide his obvious Mistralian features a little.

“George Takei from Mantle News, is it right to say that General Ironwood is assuming sole governance of the Kingdom of Atlas?”

More questions of a similar vein started to fly, as the press went wild. He could see the people already moving, could hear the sound of murmurs and the cameras that flashed and shone. He was used to the feeling of being in the spotlight, as he remembered Casey and her daughter, the ladies that had been in Mantle to wait for him every morning.

_‘It feels like it’s just yesterday…’_

It felt like yesterday, but it had been a little longer. So little time had passed that it was like a crime, a terrible crime that had occurred but he had no way of fixing it. He watched the Ace Ops as he was pushed into the transport, watching how they pulled out the cuffs and cuffed him. Saphron struggled a little, but she was pushed down into a seat, as the aircraft started preparations for takeoff.

_‘The world will see two Arcs being hauled off to Ironwood…’_

He could see the plan now. Saphron looked at him for a moment and she cleared her throat, looking at Clover.

“M-mister Ebi? I-I think they called you that, yes?”

The pleading voice drew the man’s attention, as Winter looked at Saphron, who was looking with a pleading expression.

“Do you think you could let Winter fetch my bag? I-if it’s not too much a problem? M-my s-son’s picture is in it, I’d… I’d not want to be without my son.”

The look on Winter’s face was understanding, and Jaune realized that the act had been convincing enough. Saphron was fairly convincing when she _wanted_ to be, generally sunny and warm whenever she was at her home, but Winter seemed to have forgotten that she was a member of the family.

_‘When things start going down, we’re going to be hurting people.’_

The man looked understanding, as he nodded. He had a heart, which was a weakness that could be exploited. The man was sentimental, allowing a woman a last request. It would get Willow out of danger for now.

“Specialist Schnee, you may retrieve Miss Cotta-Arc’s bag. Return to headquarters posthaste in full uniform, the General will wish to see us complete Objective Alpha.”

The words were meaningless, as Winter stepped off the aircraft and it lifted off, the woman’s presence leaving them with five of the Ace Ops, Clover looking like he would rather be elsewhere.

“Do you really believe that the General is right?”

He asked the question, as he let his eyes wander to the other members of the Ace Ops, Harriet the designated pilot for the aircraft, and that being just what he wanted. A speeding Ace Ops was just not something that he could easily counter, knowing that his own troubles with Ruby’s speed would act up. He just wasn’t designed to act so fast.

“It’s up to us to work to make his strategies work, Mister Arc. You made a nice showing in the election, but General Ironwood does not wish to see the issue of the Winter Maiden taken too far. Elm?”

The big woman grabbed Saphron’s arm and a needle was pushed into his sister’s veins, depressed and Saphron lost her consciousness. A cold freezing blizzard of anger rose within him, the weight of that bringing even more cold to his heart.

_‘Oh, you’ve done a bad thing…’_

Saphron went limp, and he just _knew_ that he would get blamed for this when it was all over. As long as they didn’t execute them summarily, there was always a chance.

_“Patience, discipline and a good plan will work out in any combat situation, Jaune. I could have rushed along and invaded whilst my supply lines were unsuitable, but I did not and we did a rout of the enemy’s forces.”_

He didn’t respond visibly to his sister’s slumping, as Elm pushed her body into the seat again. The white suit that he wore wasn’t the armour of Nicholas Schnee, but it was at least something that showed the purity of his cause, or at least, gave the image. Dark colours always meant evil, darkness and wickedness.

“You know, my great-grandmother once told me a story about Mantle.”

He would keep talking for as long as the trip lasted, the fury inside him swelling up, raging and burning, his eyes going to Saphron, as he smiled.

“A great and powerful city. Something that could be a beacon to the world, if all would just obey the rule of there being no artistic skills.”

The story of the Great War, one of the things where he actually had been forced to pay attention. Faunus Rights Revolutionary ideology had never been something that interested him, but the stories of Mantle, of a Kingdom which laid in the far north and had thrived regardless of the weather, that had been interesting.

“My great-grandfather was a general of some sort. He married my grandmother and they had one daughter.”

It wasn’t something that would be illogical, given the fact that he existed. Marrow looked interested whilst Vine and Elm shrugged, Clover looking interested, a cavalier smile on his face.

“We’re not really big on that part of history in Atlas.”

_‘You should. The past is something that should be remembered.’_

The aircraft continued, and Jaune felt the chill inside his heart creak through his system. The warmth was absent, as he felt his body freezing over with the anger and the frustration within him mounting. Saphron was unconscious, but she’d make sure that she lived, somehow. If the General wanted a face-to-face meeting and to find out whether the Winter Maiden was Saphron or someone else…

_‘Well… The first rule of warfare…’_

A glorious tale, something that would divert the attention from what he was doing. He wasn’t acting like he should, scared and confused, but that was the intention. The Ace Ops would think him up to something, because he was not someone who had been proven trustworthy.

_‘No matter what torment you bring, James Ironwood…’_

The questions asked by the reporters had been important information. He could see the game plan already unfolding. Atlas and Mantle would be at war. The Ace Ops weren’t politically savvy, and he really personally wasn’t as savvy as he could have been. He was a young man who loved those who were to be protected, and he knew what he had to do.

_‘It was worth it.’_

Ruby would be safe.

Weiss would be safe.

Winter would be safe.

Everyone would be safe, and he was not going to let the General make the mistake of thinking that he had the upper hand.

_‘Such arrogance… He has no idea.’_

The chill inside his heart did not fade for one instant, as he focused himself, whilst telling a tale of the Mantle that he remembered from the stories. It would be another ten minutes before they would arrive, he guessed from the location of the Schnee Manor and the military headquarters.

They were leading him right into the lion’s den. He caught Saphron’s eyes fluttering for a moment, her fingers twitching a little in her seat, forming three taps.

_‘That’s three taps, so that means three minutes until she’s fully functional again. Time to tell them a story…’_

“I never heard of that in the history lessons!”

Marrow added, looking excited by the tale of the Grand Expedition to Mistral. Clover rubbed his chin.

“It’s not really something that gets told much, because it was a short period of time before the Great War broke out.”

Jaune knew that, which is why he focused on it. The best illusions were the ones laid with truth, a little ambiguity and a hint of misdirection.

“Great-grandmother said that it wouldn’t be too important, but I liked to listen to her talk about Franz Kaffee and his books.”

_‘Keep being distracted…’_

Saphron tapped two more times on her leg softly with her fingers. He hadn’t been trained in anything due to him being ‘important’, but it wasn’t like he’d never paid attention.

* * *

Weiss watched the door swing shut, Ruby still remaining on the foyer ground, looking at Jaune as he was led away, her heartbeat thumping in her chest as she rushed to her friend, whose silver eyes were looking at the door.

“I don’t understand, Weiss. Oscar said that we had to work together with the General, not- not arresting someone innocent! We’re the good guys!”

Saphron Arc would likely be held somewhere before the Winter Maiden’s powers would be transferred to Winter or someone who was loyal to General Ironwood. The powers of the Winter Maiden laid within one of the Arc sisters, but if it had been the right one, she could only guess at.

“There is no good or evil in this world, child.”

The voice of a man that sounded familiar to her ears, a man wearing a set of armour walking from one of the hallways, his hair a dark brown-and-yellow tint, this time without his woman at his side. Weiss could see the man’s eyes looking darkly at Ruby, as his lance-like weapon was set aside.

“Who are you?!”

Ruby asked, as the man’s laugh loud and amused, Yang giving a soft gasp as she recognized him.

“You’re the guy who was with his woman being all intimate!”

The man nodded, and Weiss could hear something moving. Voices that came from the other side, Ruby turning her head.

“Told you that there’d be a way in. Of course, a bit of percussive maintenance wasn’t something that was _bad_ , but hey… it’s all going to go along the plan, isn’t it?”

Leonhard’s eyes shifted to the other side of the room, where the door opened and Weiss gasped as some _very_ familiar faces appeared, Nora’s excited smirk on her lips clearly telling her that there was danger in the future, a small plaintive look on Ren’s face.

_‘They’re ALIVE?!’_

But they’d died. Ren had chosen suicide after Nora had died. She’d had nightmares and-

“The work isn’t done _yet,_ children. Now, silver-eyed girl. Could you direct me to the lady of the household? My… the rest of my family will be arriving with Jaune as well, when he’s sprung free.”

_‘When he’s sprung free? What?!’_

The man’s calm and sedate pace was something made her follow him, a near-hypnotic sway of the man’s body as he approached the silver-eyed girl.

“Ah, I’m just- Weiss knows where she is, they arrested- they arrested Jaune and his sister.”

The man’s head turned to the door and a small smile twitched on the man’s lips, his eyes going to Weiss, staring right at her.

“Miss Schnee, a _pleasure_ to meet you. My wife is currently in the process of making herself prettier in a bathroom, please excuse the mess.”

The toothy smile on the man’s face made her think of Jaune with that bad boy appeal. Leonhard Arc, or whatever he was called, looked at her with a look in his eyes which spoke volumes about what he thought, the honesty in those eyes and the dismissal that mingled with it was a statement about how he thought of her.

“Dad? Eh, I think we know the layout, so we’ll be informing your other daughters of the parts being completed, okay? I think it’s kind of important. Jaune doesn’t know about the other stuff.”

_‘What other stuff? Nora, what are you- How are you even still alive? You were dead!’_

Yang voiced the thoughts that Weiss was thinking, as she grabbed Nora’s shirt, a dark one that blended in well with Ren’s own dark outfit, Atlesian-style.

“You were _dead_ , Nora.”

The smile on the girl’s face as she was lifted up by the shirt by Yang was something that would be infuriating under other circumstances, as the blue eyes looked into Yang’s lilac-coloured ones.

“Oh, yes. I was. Then I was shocked alive again. It’s a thing with my Semblance. It blew out one of the Dust generators though… Looootttss of lightning.”

Ren sighed, as he moved past Yang.

“Deal with her on your own, Nora. Ruby, are you okay?”

Weiss watched Ruby shiver, looking at the formerly-dead Mistralian member of team JNR, the faint smile on his lips.

“Wha-what whaaaaat? You’re alive! B-but he was so sad! He was so sad, I asked whether I could go and comfort him but there was not enough time and- and-“

The door opened and Winter entered, Leonhard’s lance raising and lowering.

“And you must be Winter, my son’s fiancé.”

The woman’s eyes widened at the thought of the engagement of some sort, as the man’s lance was tucked back into the loop at his back, Winter’s eyes looking away from the man.

“Your son and daughter have been arrested for- for being the Winter Maiden and… and treason to Atlas.”

Weiss could see that the man seemed to find that very humorous, as his eyes glanced to the direction where he’d come from.

“It’s only treason if you are not the victor, Liebchen. Which daughter of mine got arrested? If it’s Star, she’ll probably blow the whole airship up before they even left the airspace around this place. The techno-geek is good for something at least.”

Weiss didn’t know who this ‘techno-geek’ was that the man spoke of, but Winter’s expression changed to one of vulnerability, one which showed her feelings on the surface, as she looked at him.

“Saphron Arc is a civilian, this is really _serious,_ Mister Von Arcadia.”

The man started to laugh, his head shaking a few times as the smile showed a genuine amusement in that.

“Oh, I don’t think that it will be really serious, given the skill that my daughter has in the killing of many people, Liebchen. If Saphron doesn’t get herself free easily, she’s not worthy of being my daughter. You really don’t need to fear for my daughter’s safety.”

The man’s eyes flicked to Weiss, who watched the penetrating gaze observe her.

“Now, we should get to your mother, Miss Schnee, before we have my wife leaping at me and the kids coming in to see me getting pounced on again. We’re here to celebrate tonight.”

The cause for celebration was still to be determined as Leonhard Von Arcadia moved without even the barest hint of consideration, Ren and Nora following after the man like obedient children. Weiss felt the weirdness, the surrealism of the situation hit her. Winter looked uncertain, her eyes meeting with Weiss’ own in a question. The man's hand made a gesture and she found herself moving along to the man's orders

_‘What could we celebrate?’_

The clear cough from the direction that the man had come from was audible and Weiss turned around, only to freeze in place. Red eyes, pale skin and a form-fitting black dress, the arms and shoulders uncovered by the dress but a weapon curling around her arm, biting into the flesh, a look on Selene Von Arcadia’s face that made her freeze up.

_‘For a moment, I…’_

She had imagined that the woman was the villain of this whole story, a hand in the shadows to fight against Ozma, the creep who had tried to steal Ruby away. The features were similar, but the sclera weren't black, there were no weird veins or horrible oppressive feelings inside her at the sight.

“Aaah! It’s Salem!”

A shot from Crescent Rose was blocked by the man’s armour as he got in front of his wife in a flash of motion.The woman’s face twisted darkly and the woman’s mouth opened, Leonhard’s voice ringing out with a sharp tone.

“Now, my darling, let’s not rant at the poor dear. She mistook you for someone else.”

The woman’s lips pressed tightly together, her eyes broodingly staring at Ruby with a look that clearly didn’t look so very pleased with her.

“She should keep her mouth _shut_.”

The woman’s grumpy tone was met with a sigh, as the man’s fingers made a small wiggle, the woman’s face darkening a little at the thought, his expression shifting to something that made him look worse and more wicked than his son did, that cold and distant look that she’d only seen on Jaune’s face once, after the funeral and the death of the woman who he’d been lodging with in Mantle.

“B-but you look l-“

The woman’s face darkened.

“Why does a little girl like you _care_ what a woman looks like? I’m an albino! Liebchen, she called me Salem! I’m still pretty, right?”

The woman’s verbal tirade made Ruby take a step back, as Yang stepped up to defend her sister, the look on Yang’s face clearly trying to make peace. The sudden mood swing and the woman hugging her husband’s armour and pleading with him.

“Now, let’s not get too heated, my love. You look like my loving wife and bride, just as sexy as you were thirty-five years ago.”

The woman seemed to simper at the compliment, her smile growing.

“My dear, we _must_ get acquainted. Jaune is a tender boy and he doesn’t have the stomach to do what we do… Well, I didn’t think he was, but he did so well. He’s going to get a seat on the table! THE TABLE!”

Weiss had no idea what ‘the table’ was, but the woman seemed to be excited about it, her eyes brightly lit with that happiness and manic excitement. Selena Von Arcadia was one who had a lot of mercurial moods.

“Liebchen, it’s not been decided yet. If he will take a seat, then he will. We don’t decide, we just follow the orders we’re given, but he _did_ take out Tyrian Callows.”

The man’s tone and the revelation of what Jaune had done to make sure that they were safe made her feel warmth inside of her, the man’s eyes going to Ruby, who was still hiding behind her sister.

“You should be happy that she didn’t attack you. We’ve… ah, we’ve had issues when she gets in her moods.”

The woman was suckling on the man’s neck, whimpering something about need. Weiss could see that the woman’s dress had hitched a little, revealing pale flesh, marks on it showing clearly. The woman didn’t seem to recover from her wounds as swiftly as Huntresses did, and she wondered about that.

“Does… Does your wife not have her Aura unlocked?”

Winter asked, and her eyes went to the door, clearly deliberating whether she should go and fulfil her duty to the General or whether she should stay. Why Winter was here she didn’t know, but that meant that Jaune and his sister were now within the hands of the Ace Ops.

This was important stuff, and the parents just seemed to act like it wasn’t! If Weiss had to pick between her children and national security, she’d pick her children!

“Oh, that? No, I don’t have space for that. Little Cindy thought that she was _fit_ , hah. Oh, she doesn’t know, she never did know… Hurt my little angel, now...”

The woman cackled a little, letting go of her husband and turning from him.

“Come, Leon! We must meet with the lady of the house. Grandmother always said to be polite, and well- Winter, Liebchen? We must _talk_ about you and our family. There will be incentives for you to produce an heir.”

That was entirely too quick! Ruby looked lost, unsure whether she should trust the woman, who was now in the process of dragging Winter up the stairs.

“I can sense them, all six of them. Ahh, mommy knows, my schatzchen! You cannot hide from Mutti!”

The husband to the wife merely shook his head. He gave a smile, as he motioned for Ren and Nora to move, Nora almost vibrating with excitement, her eyes glinting.

“We should go and have a family day or something once everything is done. Jaune deserves time to rest. We did it all for him, because we’re _not_ abandoning him to the whim of a man who would use him as a host.”

Leonhard Von Arcadia’s eyes hardened, his teeth bared in a snarl at that thought.

“No, I don’t think he would like it much. When you work with blood and guts… You get to move away. He got attached and that’s okay. It’s a shame about the woman though. A kid... Damn. That's one grandchild we'll never hold.”

Weiss watched Selene drag Winter out of sight and she realized that she’d been too distracted. They should be active, not watching a pair of parents sweep in, the dead people coming to life once again and Jaune being arrested.

“Hey! Wait up!”

They entered the dining room, her mother still sat, looking somewhat worried at the television. There were reports of riots that started up, calls for Ironwood to step down as the highest military leader and to investigate the deaths of the Councilmen who had died.

The man sat down on the seat that had been arranged for him, Nora and Ren sitting down as well, Nora nearly quivering with excitement. Winter had been sat down by the man, Winter following his commands without another word.

“It seems the people are getting the message, my dear.”

Jaune’s mother’s hand tapped onto the table, an elegant golden band around her ring finger, another black ring visible, blockier and larger on her other ring finger, a symbol that Weiss could barely make out. It looked a little like a symbol of golden arcs and something red with it, cast with a blue gemstone tint.

“Revolution, spreading the rumours that Ironwood is going for a coup, braiding further on Jaune’s little insurrection… I told you that it was a good idea to do that, even if Ironwood wasn’t taken out. The man’s got no leg to stand on. He's got the military authority, but without the council to grant him legitimacy... He's not going to say 'I am the General' for long.”

Aurum von Arcadia spoke quietly, a smile on her lips, her gaze down at the plate.

“Gran-gran applauded the effort too.”

_‘Who?’_

Their grandmother, it seemed, as several of the sisters smiled, Rosa getting up and handing something to her older sister Hanna, the small clip enough, as a pill was pulled out and then swallowed, taken with a little water.

“Now… the final blows to Atlas upper leadership. It should be…”

Ruby’s Scroll rang, and Blake appeared on the screen, the conversation shared with all the members of RWBY present at the moment. Ruby had been talking to Qrow, Weiss guessed, interrupted by the sudden call.

“Ruby! It’s madness over here! The people are calling for Hill to face justice for her crimes, as if she’s been doing wrong things to the people! It’s insane to see people asking her to stand trial after ‘winning the election through fraud!’ One of her teammates was killed when Jaune’s building was blown up and they are accusing her of taking out a political opponent!”

There was a frantic tone to Blake’s voice, as the sound of shouts and anger came from the surroundings, Robyn Hill standing a small distance away behind a lectern, addressing the reporters. The sheep Faunus whose name Weiss didn’t remember walked up to stand behind her, and Winter and Willow looked uneasily at the newscast as Robyn Hill’s face showed a clear empathic side to her, as the audio of Blake played.

_‘This is just… just what they want. Just what the world needs, more division.’_

“Mantle will be represented by me and I am willing to cooperate with General Ironwood to ensure that Mantle and Atlas can work together once again. Thank you for your votes, Mantle. I will do whatever I can to make Mantle great again!”

It was what Salem would have wanted, what she would wish to cause, all in order to spite her ex-husband. Weiss could see Robyn’s face on the television screen show a smile, the crossbow that she wore on her back swaying a little, as the sheep Faunus raised her weapon, directly at the back of the woman’s head. A finger on the trigger, as Robyn Hill's face was set in that look of half-triumph and hope.

_‘Oh gods.’_

Blake turned around, and the faint sound of a bowstring's twang came from the speakers of the television set, as Robyn Hill went down, the still image of an arrow penetrating right through her eye and knocking it from its socket with the tip as the last of the camera, the woman collapsing onto the lectern, quite obviously dead. Weiss covered her mouth in shock as the body laid there, the sheep Faunus looking at the body as the cameras were trained on that, a shocked silence remaining.

“Mantle deserved a _hero,_ not a _traitor._ LONG LIVE KING IRONWOOD! LONG LIVE THE KING!”

The camera feed cut off after that for the television, a pale host of the news saying that there were some technical difficulties, but that the Specialists would take care of it.

_‘Oh no… Oh no, oh no…’_

Satisfied grins, smoothening the faces of the Von Arcadia’s as Leonhard leaned back, his hand raising and one of the fingers wiggling once. The large dark ring waggled with it, similar to the one that his wife wore. Perhaps it was a communication device, like in the infiltrator novels that she'd once read?

“Ahh, that was _worth_ it. Poor little sheep, she’ll be convinced that it was all her own idea… Faunus are tricky to work with, but that’s what you get when you work with animals… Liebchen, do we have the time for a dance whilst Jaune and Saphron are still mid-flight?”

The woman’s smile was warm, Whitley looking a little paler as the woman’s attention laid on him for a long moment.

“Oh, we’re _technically_ still having dinner. We should wait for a little and leave the people to fester a bit more. It was _quite_ some work to arrange for all of this, you know? A bit of a holiday, maybe a few weeks in Mistral with the family.”

The woman’s smile was sick, the utter lack of empathy within the red eyes of the woman making Weiss shiver.

“A queen and a king on holiday… Oh, the people will obey, because they will _want_ the legitimate rulers back. Our daughters will be princesses and our son a prince, Leonhard.”

Winter, Willow and Whitley and herself looked oppressed, as the woman turned to them, the shudder of the pale-skinned woman’s body almost like a threat.

“And we’ve even got a son and a daughter because of our lovely little Jaune! We can make them into little murderfiends too! Well, not like our daughters. Am I too much sometimes, Nora? Nora, my dear? Am I TOO MUCH?!”

The sudden shift to anger from the woman, as Nora smiled brightly.

“Not at all, Mom! We’re going to be with Jaune, so all will be good in the end. Probably. Hopefully. He’s going to be okay, isn’t he?”

The woman laughed softly.

“Of course, my dear. Saphron is the most powerful out of all of my daughters, and my son… Oh, he’ll make it. He’s gotten an _upgrade_ since we last saw him! He’s got AURA, just like his father! Ooh, Leon? On the table, hmm… eat me. I love you.”

The woman was about to assault her husband again in the way of a woman and her husband, as the woman’s teeth flashed, the lack of sanity and guiding thought definitely something that made Weiss a little leery.

“So… You wish to make Atlas into a Kingdom once again…”

Winter tried, as the woman’s attention slid to her.

“Oh, no, no, not like _that._ Atlas the Kingdom should never have existed. Grandmother… well, mother, I should say, the first one was a bust, but then me and Salome were born… Or was that I and Salome? I never could tell. We were _made_ to rule this world, my dear. That I was compatible with my lovely little Leon was just happy circumstance. None… none of my children are fertile, except for Jaune. Oh, we tried to keep him safe, so very safe, but he was a bad boy and wanted to be a Huntsman like mother told him! He was such a good boy but then he wanted to be a Huntsman!”

The daughters of the woman looked a little guilty, Rosa especially, as she adjusted the bowler hat on her head a little.

“He liked the stories, mom. You know that we always coddled him because he wasn’t like us, he didn’t have the gifts that we did!”

The woman smiled at her daughters, clearly not thinking too unhappily about the words, a bittersweet smile.

“So… He’s at least picked a woman who looks like his mother. You’re the fiancé, right?”

The question was sudden and Winter gave a small nod.

“Not quite… at that point, but I do wish to stay with him. Compared to a life where my body will be a vessel for the Winter Maiden’s powers, I would rather…”

Winter’s eyes looked saddened, as the man laughed at the face she made, boisterous, amused laughter. Weiss could spot her mother Willow looking at the members of the family, their unworried faces clearly portraying that sense of ease even within a situation like this.

“Well, it’s all part of the charm. When I first met my mother-in-law, she was terrifying, I was but a young lad back then, and now… Now I’ve got eight children and a wife who loves me more than anything. Ah, Liebchen, please, I’m trying to speak. Not now, we’re with family. Just imagine your mother coming through the door, and we’ll do something later, okay? Come, little vampire, you can get your blood later.”

The man’s wife had started to lick his ear like a rabid vampire, and Weiss wondered why the woman’s face was familiar. She looked like someone familiar, but she didn’t look like Salem, unlike what Ruby had thought. Her hair was definitely a little fluffier, if that was a word, than the woman who stewarded the Grimm.

_'She needs to use more shampoo... I see split ends.'_

“You’re the Vampire and the Dark King!”

Winter was the one to identify them, and the man shrugged lightly at the title.

“Yeah. I mean, denying it isn’t going to help much. Saphron’s the Sapphire Stabber, Star’s the Sunset Strangler, our little Rosa is the Neopolitan Noose, we’ve all got our little epithets. No honey, she’s not- Sorry, my wife is a bit sensitive about her nickname. You’re not a vampire, you’re _my_ little vampire, Selena.”

Winter had gone pale, as she looked at the two. Weiss pulled her Scroll out, aware that the call from Blake had ended nearly seven minutes before, her eyes typing in ‘Vampire’ and a big ??? picture appearing, before a bounty flickered onto the screen.

_‘That’s… that’s a lot of Lien.’_

The man would have a similar bounty, undoubtedly. She saw the list of crimes, including murder, arson, theft, impersonating an officer, sex in a public place, jaywalking and…

_‘Someone actually got fined for lowering their pants and flashing an officer?’_

“We’re the magic witches of death. Woohhhh. We swoop in and murder people, yaaay!”

Sabrina von Arcadia spoke up and made a broad gesture with her hands, like some evil witch about to swoop down from her broomstick like in the stories, the big floppy witch hat on her head smacked off her head by her older sister Annah.

“Hush, ‘Teenage Witch’. Some of us are better than you, misses ‘escape pilot’. You’re the fastest at flying away from trouble.”

The sigh from the aforementioned Sabrina as she pulled it back on, sticking out her tongue.

“You’re just _jealous_ because all you’ve got is a little spark together with your sister. Saphron’s always been better at things than us, because she was the best. You two just blow stuff up with _Dust_!”

Selena Von Arcadia made a clicking sound and all conversation from the sisters of the young man who had been abducted was silenced, their mouths shut in a quick snap.

“Now, children… Let’s not give our in-laws the impression that we are uncultured barbarians who revel in murder… I do, but that’s beside the point. The poor dears don’t understand what the great task is for…”

The woman smiled sweetly at Weiss, before her attention went to Winter, then to Whitley and finally to rest on Willow.

“Once you are with us, you will find that there will be safety. The family is the most important thing in the world to us… Willow, I believe your name was?”

Her mother nodded quietly to the other woman’s question, the smile on Selena Von Arcadia’s face brightening a little.

“Welcome to the family, Willow. I apologize for the attack on you and your sister and daughter during dinner, Rosa was sent to aid little Cinder and if it were necessary, to eliminate her. You don’t trust maniacs with any _real_ power, after all.”

The woman looked fully justified in saying that, as Weiss’ mind whirled with thoughts, her eyes going to Ruby, who looked at her.

“Y-you killed Cinder? Who- who is the Fall Maiden now?”

Nora smirked broadly and Weiss had the feeling that it was Nora. It was a feeling that was confirmed as Nora raised a hand, a flame dancing on her fingertips.

“That’s _ME!_ Now, we’ve got to make sure Jauney is safe! We’ve got a threesome to plan, arrange, do something with… Well, maybe a foursome. Rosa said that she’d like to have a good whack at our dear glorious leader, and we’re _sharing_ him with you. He’s free meat! I don’t know about any of your team, Ruby, but we’re gonna have _sex_. And we are gonna LIKE it! Yeah!”

Ren facepalmed. The Von Arcadia sister chuckled to themselves, with someone going ‘She’ll fit _right_ in the family gathering.’ Which Von Arcadia sister had spoken wasn't clear to her, but the shared smiles were definitely creepy.

* * *

Jaune watched as they touched down on the air pad for Atlas Academy, the home of the military within the same complex, as the people of Atlas had liked to consolidate their power. Already, people were massing, Atlesian citizens and camera people who were trying to get a scoop.

“Bring out Ironwood! He’s the last member on the council! We demand answers!”

Someone shouted that, the Ace Ops looking at each other for a moment as they gauged it. Jaune could understand that. To see one of the last political opponents still alive and being led to General Ironwood on charges of treason, as well as his sister…

_‘Oh, it just looks fabulous, doesn’t it? With last member of the council, they probably mean that the others have been taken out… I wouldn’t put it past dad to have ensured something like that.’_

They were professionals, just like his sister was. They were a family, and he remembered the tales of heroics from his grandmother well. The woman had been in love once with a man, and there had been scorn and rage, though she’d always tempered her words somewhat.

_‘I wanted to be a hero to make you proud, great-grandmother.’_

The frozen fields inside his heart did not stop chilling, as he felt his body pulse with that need to do the right thing, to make sure that nobody else perished. Saphron’s eyes opened up and she startled ‘awake’.

“You drugged me!”

The indignant sound of her voice drew the Ace Ops out of their torpor, even with the door opening up and the voice of Qrow Branwen came, the man peering into the craft.

“Well… fuck. You guys just managed to poke a Grimm hive with a depressed Huntsman, haven’t you?”

Saphron looked at the man, her eyes fearful and yet hopeful, acting the part of the scared wife of a person the man knew.\\.

“You! You’re Qrow Branwen, right? W-we met at my wife’s house, I-I, they kidnapped me and said my little brother did horrible things, I don’t-“

The man’s expression softened a little, Jaune spotting the emotional weakness of the man, the man’s smile hesitant, as Saphron did her best.

“She’s the Winter Maiden. We’ve got to bring her in. Jaune Arc will stand trial for crimes against humanity and Atlas, Qrow.”

The leader of the Ace Ops spoke solemnly, the good cheer that he was around not enough. Jaune realized that he had enough time for him to work his Semblance, as he got up.

“That’s wrong! When Ruby called me, I knew something was up, but she’s an innocent woman, Clover.”

The man could be counted on to do the right thing. It would be so easy to just let the man fight with the Ace Ops, Clover’s expressive face showing his feelings on the subject, Marrow uneasy.

“Sir, we should exit. It isn’t going to help if we waste too much time.”

He got up from his seat and walked, Saphron ‘assisted’ to get up, her eyes glancing at him for a moment. Two quick blinks in question, and he blinked back once. He focused on the warmth, rather than the frozen coldness within him, his Aura blazing inside him, bumping into Qrow for a moment. The man’s Aura flickered from the hit, but he’d done what he’d wanted to do.

A crack of something and one of the people massed seemed to trip, pushed from behind and falling over. The crowd focused on the craft, spotting the eight of them, the Ace Ops ushering them along.

“Mister Arc! Mister Arc, any comment on why you are captured? Is there some secret ploy by General Ironwood to seize control of Atlas?”

He straightened, as Clover stepped forth.

“Mister Arc is currently under arrest for treason against Atlas and crimes against humanity, a tribunal will be convened and the evidence presented. General Ironwood will do what he must to protect Atlas.”

Clover’s words were simple standard phrases, nothing creative, just obeying the order of things. Jaune felt a push into his back, and he spoke up.

“My sister and I were arrested, simply because I ran for office and she inherited a Semblance that conveys power! Robyn Hill is Ironwood’s pawn, in order to beguile the masses! She was taught by him, she graduated _his_ Academy! There is only _one_ Atlas, and it will be under the dominion of General Ironwood, for your own good.”

He knew that his words would reach. A good speech consisted of enough truth to fool the world and enough lies to fool those who were paranoid to be led along. You never told the truth to people who weren’t on your side, after all.

“Remember me, Atlas! I am born in foreign lands, but I came in order to bring order and peace to this place! This is what happens to those who do not follow the plan of General Ironwood! Silenced! Abducted! Brought before the king’s throne and deemed to be traitors to humanity, simply because they try to improve the lives of the common people, whilst the king seats in his high throne!”

He was pushed towards Atlas Academy, watching the people as shouts started to come, aware that his words had reached them. General Ironwood had not made friends, Qrow Branwen’s Semblance was amped up to the maximum. He tripped and fell flat on his face, his arms not free to move, and people shouted something, as Saphron moved, helping him up the best she could before she was pulled away.

“Alright, get up, Arc. The General wants you to stand trial, and we believe in fairness!”

Qrow Branwen’s face was hesitant, Jaune knowing that the man was fragile in his motivations. The betrayal of Ozma had rocked the man to the core, as he was pushed along, his eyes catching the last sight of the crowd, before he was being pushed along the path towards the former headmaster’s office.

_‘Casey, Pyrrha… if you could see me now… I'm sorry you had to die for me.’_

The frozen ice within him cracked, as he felt the warmth go through him, exhaling slowly, his eyes looking at Saphron. She smiled at him, her appearance resuming its dark gloomy appearance, moving along. Students could see them, Jaune catching Team FNKI looking at him with an expression on their features like they didn’t know what to do. Neon looked not so upbeat for the first time that he’d seen her, her eyes flicking to Saphron and then to him.

They were stood before the door and waited, the General opening the door for them, the man’s tired-looking features dark and weathered. Blue eyes looked distrustful and paranoid, the newsfeed on the screen in the back of the room showing the deaths of the councilmen of Atlas. Right now, Jaune was with the sole two remaining councilmen in one room.

_‘To work the system, you need to know it. You need to know every little hint and turn that has been made within it to master it and fit it to your needs.’_

He wasn’t technical. He wasn’t smart in the sense. He was just Jaune, just a son from a loving mother and father, with seven sisters. Aunt Salome had died, mother had survived.

“She is the Winter Maiden?”

A nod from Clover, as Saphron shrank back in fear, the act perfect. Qrow looked like he wanted to say something, the General nodding.

“Bring her to the Vault. It will open up in her presence. We need the Relic if we are to stand a chance. Bring Jaune Arc to the cells. He will stand trial and face interrogation about the Question that he asked of the spirit of the Relic.”

Saphron looked terrified, as she called out his name in a fearful tone, trying to struggle against the Ace Ops who’d put his hands on her.

“Jaune!”

The General looked at his sister for a moment, before he glanced at the Ace Ops dismissively, his eyes going to the screen that had activated in the end of the room, showing a newscaster speaking..

“I will deal with Miss Arc and you will guard Mister Arc. Qrow, Clover, you will come with me. I want him under permanent guard, all four of you alert and ready. You have no more shield to hide, Mister Arc. I will be fooled once, but I will not make the same mistake.”

Jaune shared a look with the general, smiling in his most charming manner. It would put them on guard, which was just what he wanted. He would be the distraction, the decoy that would take all the heat off his sister.

“All I wanted to do was to save my friends and my family, General Ironwood. Everything I have done was in order to protect that which I love.”

The man’s eyes looked at him, something inside them dark and paranoid, something that the man seemed to have always had, the darker emotions lighting up with the man’s anger.

“You are being charged with the murder of Cassandra and Pyrrha Role, formally. You were the last person to have been sighted with them, so it is a good enough excuse to put you behind bars. In Atlas, _I_ am the law. I should have declared Martial Law months ago, but the people cannot be trusted… Oz, you would have urged caution, and you still do, but I will _not_ let my Kingdom sink into anarchy! There must be order and there will be a fighting chance for Atlas. We cannot have foreigners meddling in _our_ affairs.”

The man’s voice was like a whisper to himself, something that brought sanity to the insanity of the man, the man's eyes focused on Saphron. He thought that his sister was the Winter Maiden…

As he was pushed into the cell and the door shut with a clang, Jaune Arc sighed deeply. He knew that he was being watched. They would watch him like a hawk, but he was in control.

Everything had led up to this moment.

_‘I’ve got control. I am in control. Focus, bring it forth, and… let it go.’_

His breath puffed into icy smoke as the temperature dropped rapidly, his arms spreading as he let the power flow through him from within, his eyes closing as he let the frigid cold inside him seep out into the air around him, the walls covering in a coating of frost, the cool crispness of the room making him feel the chill for an instant. The cracking of ice and frost was like music to his ears as his body warmed up and his eyes opened, the blazing energy of magic flaring, as it had been since he had killed the Winter Maiden.

_“Hanna. Annah. Sabrina. Saphron, Star, Aurum and Rosa and me, there in the middle.”_

He had been the last person mentioned in the most vivid of voices, and he would remain the connection in the mind of Fria between the girls that he had shown to the old woman. It was all about making the world believe the lie, whilst you knew the truth.

The sub-zero temperatures of the magical power emanating from within him cracked the walls, as he breathed out once more and the metal of the door cracked. The suit might be more significant than he'd thought, as he brought the frost to the halls of Atlas.

He was the inheritor of the Winter Maiden, after he had stolen the power. Cinder had proven that it could be stolen, so he had taken the power from an old woman. His aura had overwhelmed the old woman's and when she had passed, it had pulled the power straight out of her, back to the source: Him.

In a world of lies, the only truth was power.

He could see that now. He had lied, cheated and stolen, murdered people whose only crime was having things he needed to make sure that everyone was safe.

He was a boogeyman, a villain, a golden-haired, blue-eyed hero who had been twisted into the villain of a story that was real.

He was Jaune Amadeus Von Arcadia and he was going to _end_ this party with a _bang_. 

_"To make a lie into the truth is something that is best done when you wish to make the enemy fear what you represent. They will make the mistake to focus on those who fit the idea they have, rather than the one who looks unassuming and weak. The greatest truth is the lie that becomes a truth, but not your truth, Jaune. Gather allies, divide your enemies... and conquer them whilst they are in disarray. Strength alone does not buy one victory. A mind to guide those souls who seek guidance, a voice to rally the desperate and the craven, a bold fist raised and a noble cause declared... Be like a father to them, and they will follow you into the depths of despair with smiles, because they wish to hold on to that small spark of hope that you give them."_

* * *

**And now, people will throw stuff at me. Lots of stuff. Winter Maiden Jaune! Oh nooo…**

**But it’s actually fairly obvious in hindsight, if you know where you’re looking. His freezing over of the bathroom at Casey’s house is blamed on the open window a few times, and his aura has changed to be ‘cold’ for the touch by whoever he touches, rather than warm when he was still un-maiden-fied. Small little bits to show to the reader 'something is wrong', but it's blamed on just his emotions, to misdirect. The ice (as evidenced by his feeling of freezing over) and how the rooms just start to freeze when he loses control for a moment, was a big clue as to Jaune having the powers of the Winter Maiden.**

**It’s a Party is written in a style that is linked to the Rashomon effect. Jaune, as a notoriously unreliable narrator, gives the reader an impression of something, whilst the physical effects may indicate something entirely different, whilst Weiss, who sees the truth in her own manner of speaking, is one who watches the effects of those actions. Nora is half-reliable, half unreliable. She's devoted to Jaune together with Ren, because she sees the abyss he's teetering on the edge of. JNPR had that teamwork dynamic, and now... A whole lot of things are going to go _wrong_.**

**Well, now you know what style it's written in. I had an entire summary with bullet points about stuff about where you can see that the reality is a little different than Jaune sees it, but I may just leave it for the endgame. He tried to do his best for his friends, at least, but the world seems intent on punching down on him. Well, at least people know who the real Winter Maiden is (Jaune). There's an _awful_ lot you can do with a Semblance which can conjure up illusions and the like, don't you think? Some of the inspirations for how this is written are from detectives, so you'll see a lot of clues that lead ultimately to one conclusion or the other. I prefer not to leave any plot holes. **

**Also, you get more revelations next chapter to clarify some of the reactions of earlier in the story. Him having the Maiden Powers would definitely make Ren and Nora's decision to take Cinder out with the help of Neopolitan a little more logical. If you want a bitch dead... You get the best murderers in Remnant to make _sure_ that they are dead. **

**Leave a comment, I appreciate it.**


	26. The reunion party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bishoujo Senshi Jaune Amadeus Von Arcadia...
> 
> Okay, that was a reference. Enjoy the chapter!

**Oh no, Jaune is the Winter Maiden. Sailor Winter Maiden Power Makeup. *Twirly dance***

* * *

The frozen powers of the Winter Maiden burned through his system, as the power was unleashed. Frost coated every wall and the metal of the door warped thanks to the thermal shrinkage, the locks slowly shattering and breaking, the subzero temperatures warping the metal, his breath puffing into vapour.

The power that he’d taken. The powers that he’d brought into himself, laying a false trail to make sure that their attention would be elsewhere, the bright and happy smiles on the faces of Casey and little Pyrrha when he’d came back to them.

_‘She called me daddy, even if it was just by mistake’_

He wanted children. His sisters had issues with conceiving, something due to their biology, his father had said. The look in his father’s eyes had been grave and unyielding, the man’s eyes glinting with that faint hint of something to worry about later, after Jaune had returned to them.

Ren and Nora would be with them. They would be safe, together with Weiss, Winter and Willow and Whitley. They did not have to suffer, whilst he challenged the highest power in Atlas.

The door cracked and turned into splinters thanks to the cold, his eyes finding the four Ace Ops standing there, a hint of nervousness, a lack of certainty.

“I’m going to be breaking out now.”

The corona of power from his eyes shut off, the flames within his body starting to fade, the slow reaction by the Ace Ops looking like it would be perfect for some comedy show. Marrow looked like he was going to say something, Harriet was indignant, Vine just observed him and Elm watched like he was some kind of dangerous animal, the four a little rudderless without their commander present.

_‘Saph, it’s up to you now.’_

She could do it, he knew. Saphron had been the most efficient, and there was a reason why Terra had survived up until now. Nobody crossed Saphron when she wanted to keep something alive or make something dead. You just didn’t do that.

“Call the General! He’s using his Semblance!”

If it only were his Semblance, he would’ve just busted the door down with brute strength. He could feel the cold of the power of the Winter Maiden batter against the aura within him, the familiar sight of magical energy coalescing, as a beam of frozen magic shot out, hitting the intended target faster than intended.

_‘Focus, control, and then release.’_

It was what it should be, Harriet Bree’s legs frozen to the ground, Jaune’s eyes watching carefully how the young woman’s surprise grew larger, but the anger just went up.

“Hit him with all we’ve got, guys! He’s just one man!”

She took control, tugging herself free and blitzing at him, the electrical discharges with every step, the mechanical harness that she used whirring into that mode to punch him.

He felt himself freeze, hearing the ‘Stay!’ from Marrow, aware that he’d frozen into place. The power inside him burned and bubbled with that cold and frozen energy, a wall of ice forming in front of him and the power of the freezing stopped immediately, as Harriet barreled through the wall of ice, the distorted frozen surface shattering, and his hand moved, a blast of frozen ice hitting Harriet right in the gut, knocking her back.

“Alright, time to do this the hard way! Vine!”

Elm was raising her rocket-launcher-hammer weapon, a shudder going through Vine at the chill, as the glowing aura arms were already advancing, Marrow’s Semblance freezing him in place once more.

The _power_ was something that didn’t adhere to the logical boundaries of the world, a gift from a wizard who had blessed four children with the power, maidens, girls below thirty. There was not a thought in his mind about it being benign, the thoughts on _how_ Ozma had empowered the Maidens having ghosted through his mind.

The man had once had four children, and there were four maidens. It would not be unfeasible for the man have done something horrible to the bodies of his children in order to ensure that they would be with him for eternity.

He hadn’t been hearing any voices in his head, but that might be due to the fact that he wasn’t a girl. Jaune looked at the Ace Ops for a moment as Harriet crawled up from where she’d fallen after being hit.

“Fire! I can’t hold him for much longer!”

The rocket barrage came at him, the same thing that he’d seen take out a Megoliath aimed right at him, probably not a lethal shot, but it’d hurt.

_‘Okay, how to…’_

The power inside him welled up and the flame was called up, a veritable explosion rolling along the corridor back towards the Ace Ops as the rockets exploded, the power of the Winter Maiden buffering him from the serious results of an exploding rocket.

“Did we get him? Did we hit him? Is he dead?”

There was confusion, there was surprise, and the power inside him did not stop, the freezing cold inside him emerging, as he formed the icicles in the air in front of him, letting the smoke clear way a little, the sprinklers already starting up to douse the hallway with water, the smoke clearing away swiftly.

A dark smudge remained on his suit, the loaner from Willow probably going to look worse than dad did when mom dragged him into the bedroom.

_‘Professional murderers… But good people.’_

“I’m afraid not. I don’t want to kill you, but if I have to, I will.”

It was an ultimatum that he would offer, compared to the others. They were the lethal predators, the animals that were unleashed when someone was wanted dead. The Winter Maiden’s power pulsed in his chest, as he released the icy projectiles, the blood burning with the power, remembering the people that he’d lost.

This grand war against Atlas had never been what he wanted. He had never wanted to hurt, to betray, to lie and to cheat people, but it had been done for the _right_ reasons.

It was done for love, just like great-grandmother had done at the end of the Great War, her mother had done when her sister had died. It was what Terra and Saphron had done, even against the wrath of the parents.

“The General wants you quiet, Arc.”

The man wanted him dead. He knew that, and he knew that it would be something to face.

“The General wants me dead, honestly. This _‘grand plan_ ’ depends on the Maiden, doesn’t it?”

Harriet came at him again, the freezing of his body because of Marrow’s command almost normal now for these conditions. One man against the Ace Ops, and nothing more than that. A single man, empowered with the power of a demi-goddess, a magical woman who held the power to open up a vault.

_“I’m sorry, Jaune. You’ll never be able to learn.”_

A wall of rock erupted from the floor and Harriet Bree ran straight into it, the crunch loud, as the wall splintered, the power burning inside him, a gift that he had obtained through the death of an old woman, kept alive for too long.

“How is he doing that? Is that even possible with a Semblance?”

Marrow asked, Jaune’s eyes watching the Ace Ops, watching their responses. Vine looked serious as always, his eyes narrowed, clearly the least emotional out of the three Ace Ops that were still left in play.

“We disable him, then call in General Ironwood for orders on what to do with him. Elm? Since Harriet is out, for now, we should use you to keep him engaged. Formation three.”

There was discord amongst them, as they would not go and stand down quietly. Anger blossomed inside him, that friendly feeling dissipating, as he raged, the power inside him burning with that frozen flame, as Elm shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, her hammer rising, undoubtedly wanting to take him out in one blow. His Aura had already regenerated completely, the magical power within him flashing, as he raised his hand and froze.

“Stay!”

The hammer bore down on him and he felt it hit, slammed back by the rocket-boosted hammer, skidding down the hallway and undoubtedly ruining his suit in the process, laying on the ground next to a door at the far end.

_‘Better play dead for a moment…’_

Lure the enemy to you and then act when they thought you neutralized. A basic tactic, to feign injury or unconsciousness to lure them closer to him. They did not have the authority to kill him and they were respectful of authority to such a degree that they would likely radio it in after he’d been brought into custody.

“Well, he’s out. Whew, that was tough. You really hit him hard, Elm.”

The sound of Marrow’s voice was soft in the silence that had fallen since he’d taken the hit, the crunch of boots and the bare feet of Elm, who seemed to prefer to go shoe-less when she did, undoubtedly with her Semblance working in tandem with that.

“Not many people can survive that. One-hit KO’s are my speciality, you know… Still, it’s a shame that he’d go against the General.”

They were getting closer, he could hear that. The feeling of being picked up by a strong woman wasn’t exactly _unusual_ for him, as he was laid over a shoulder. He didn’t like doing this. The power inside him was enough, but he’d played dead often enough with his sisters. It had been a game. Lower the heartbeat through meditation, then go limp, release the tensions and then act when it’d been okay to.

He could hear them walk with Elm, Marrow’s lighter steps and Vine’s near-silent ones, the power burning inside him. They would not cage him again. The frost shot out from his body with a single thought and push of his will.

“I’m sorry.”

The familiar words that Pyrrha had always said, as he unleashed the power of the Winter Maiden and everything froze in a circle around him. Screams that were silenced as the water vapour in their lungs froze, snow falling down as a perfect circle around him was frozen, the roof shattering above him, crumbling due to the extreme cold.

He felt Elm crumble below him, the viscera of blood and frozen flesh sticking to his body. It was something like freeze-drying, but it was different, the ice statues of Vine and Marrow looking frozen in their moment of death.

_“If you want to keep someone down, you shoot them and then make sure that they are dead afterwards. There’ll always be some ‘sudden’ revival and then you’ve got some kind of monster on your hands.’_

He got up again, walking over to the unconscious Harriet Bree, his hand raising and a spike of ice forming in the air. The woman was slowly coming to, her face twitching a little.

_‘You don’t show mercy.’_

He pushed her on her back with a foot, her eyes fluttering open and then he shot the spike straight into her chest, before he willed the ice to expand, the sub-zero temperatures flash-freezing the woman’s chest, the life fading from those eyes as blood coated her lips from the sudden murder.

_‘Four lives extinguished because of me…’_

He had killed people. He had murdered them, but he would not let them take who he loved away from him. Alarms were blaring and echoing, his hands pushing the statues of Vine and Marrow over, shattering into crystal-like shards onto the ground, a red wet bloody smear already forming on the pristine white of his suit.

_‘Now to get Saphron.’_

She would be fine, he knew. Saphron could fight her way out of every situation, no matter the danger that it would be for her.

He trusted his big sister that much at least.

* * *

Weiss felt nervous as she saw the family sit around her, the conversation picking up a little about some topics that she knew nothing about. Dust she knew, but ‘makeup techniques’ for people?

_‘All I know is that you make yourself look pretty and that’s it.’_

Disguises weren’t her forte, even with Rosa adding a few cents to the discussion, the parents of Jaune sounding cordial, when his mother wasn’t flicking between a strange state of arousal and rationality.

_‘They’re weird… But they’re his family.´_

“And so, we came to be together.”

Leonhard Von Arcadia nodded, smiling broadly at the two of them. The man looked like he wished to say something more, but the Scroll rang. A soft beeping tune, Selena Von Arcadia looking at him for an instant, before she continued.

“We’re very happy in our marriage. Now, my dear… You were saying that you have an interest in joining the family?”

The look at her aunt Winter, which was still a strange concept to think of, was something predatory, the hesitant smile on the woman’s face as the man answered the phone, his voice a little rougher than before.

“Yes? Is something the problem?”

A man’s voice, oddly smug-sounding as he spoke up, the Scroll’s camera showing a single letter as the contact identification.

“The Media blitz is working. They are calling for the blood of General Ironwood, or… _King_ Ironwood, I should say. Good work on that, Leonhard.”

The man smiled, as the Scroll was tapped a few times, a file slowly downloading, the man opening it up and then seeing a crowd of rioters, screaming at the line of soldiers that guarded the peace.

“This has been years in the making, Geek. _Years_. All it required was a little spark, a hint of something and oppressive authority. Such a _shame_ that the people will only require one monarch to unite them. My son is now in custody.”

The man’s voice was unconcerned, as if it were merely Jaune getting to pick something up at the store, her eyes watching the man’s fingers drum on the counter.

“I wish that I could see James’ face when he finally realizes how outplayed he has been… Oh, that fat imbecile never had to go and deliver such a masterful stroke… hah. I’ve given the coordinates of your son’s location to the Huntress. He will need assistance.”

Leonhard’s head nodded once to himself, as Selena cleared her throat.

“If he is hurt, I will rip off your smart little head and use it to play soccer with! He’s my little wee baby boy!”

Weiss could see the maternal love within Selena Arc’s face, as she looked clearly like she wished to wrap Jaune in some kind of protective foil to keep him safe, her eyes blazing with that hint of supreme motherly desire. A warm gush of something went through her body at the thought of being a member of a warm and loving family, mother and her little brother belonging to it. Jaune’s family might not be the most sane of people, but they genuinely loved the boy that was their youngest relative.

_‘If they find out mother is pregnant, how would they react?’_

“I will… endeavour to ensure that he is fine, Selena. Isn’t your daughter there either?”

The dismissive sound from Selena Von Arcadia’s throat was loud.

“She can save herself. She became… became who she was, she’s a big girl. If she could guard her little girlfriend against the bombs I planted, she can guard against a tin man and his pet dog.”

_‘Oh god, she’s tried to murder Terra!’_

There may be a truth to things in that family being dangerous, the man on the Scroll growing a little impatient.

“We should plan the next move after Ironwood is taken care of. The people will need guidance, unless we are to fully assume control over the Kingdom. The plan will not be delayed.”

The man on the other end of the line seemed to take a moment to look something up, a low ‘hmm…’ from his direction.

“I am preparing a broadcast to announce to the Kingdom that the rightful heir to the throne of Atlas has returned. The High General was the second to succeed the throne of Atlas, since the last heir to the family of Romanov lies dead… A pity. A true pity that she was like a rabid dog.”

The crude chuckle from the man, turning into sadistic laughter made Weiss glance at Yang and Ruby, the latter looking a little uncertain. It was not something that would be comfortable to think about with their experience, or rather the lack of it, intrigue not being something that she’d like to think of.

“I have a- I am-“

Winter tried, her expression a little oppressed, Selena Arc looking at Winter with a predator’s gaze.

“Yes, my dear? Do tell your new mother what you wish to say, sweetheart.”

The warm smile on the woman’s face twitched a few times, her eyes glinting with the interest of a mother in the daughter that she’d gain, the hesitant smile on Winter’s face, as nobody seemed to be overly concerned about things. A small hint of worry crept into her.

“I am… I’m half-Romanov by birth.”

The surprise on Selena Von Arcadia’s face was washed away with the bright smile that blossomed on the woman’s face, her eyes going to her husband.

“We’ll be _legitimate_ now, my dear. We’ll be prince and princess of Atlas.”

Winter’s face looked worried, the man’s quiet ‘Please remain calm’ giving her a renewed sense of calmness, the sisters to the blonde man who had done so much for her sister already showing their excitement.

“We can spin this as James Ironwood intending to marry the heir to the throne to legitimize himself as King Ironwood, Leonhard. Do not forget, in the battle…”

The man on the other end of the conversation was almost smug, as Jaune’s father sighed.

“It’s only over when you’ve killed your enemy. Yes, I know, I said that to you when I beat the shit out of you, Geek. I spared your life.”

The scoff from the man as the conversation was shut off, Leonhard looking at the Scroll in his hands and quietly shaking his head a little at the look of the device, a small smile on his lips curling into a full-blown grin.

“He hates being reminded of that. Selena, do you feel hungry?”

A quiet shake of the woman’s head, her teeth nibbling against her husband’s earlobe, the teeth biting down lightly, as she moaned in appreciation.

“I would say that it is… that it is an interesting experience. Your Semblance works with voice, does it not?”

Her mother spoke up, shifting herself a little to the side, the butler looking a little awkward, standing in the corner, waiting for orders. Klein looked like he wanted to interfere, but Willow spoke up before he did.

“It is, somewhat voice-linked, yes. Nothing that I’ll go in-depth about, but it’s handy sometimes. A good killer never unveils the trick that makes his style so good.”

The words were realistic, as Ren looked at the man and nodded.

“You were very clear on things when we first met. Every factor that could lead to discovery must be eliminated.”

The man nodded once in confirmation, Weiss watching how the rugged features of the man were caressed by his wife, her lips pressing kisses to his skin.

“You don’t sow seeds in winter if you want to harvest them.”

That was an old saying, she guessed, from her mother’s small nod.

“Will you protect my children and my sister, Mister Von Arcadia?”

Her mother’s plea was treasonous, as these were usurpers to democracy, murderers who did not care for the lives that they took, insane and scatterbrained at times, the woman saying something very quietly in Mantlean to her husband.

“And you, of course. Family is the most important to us. Six have already been lost, my wife’s sister and mother, four others. My mother-in-law isn’t someone who would wish for a woman who has shared the bed with my son to worry about safety. Though I suppose that makes you the only one who _hasn’t_ , if I am led to believe that.”

The look on Whitley’s face was hesitant, as the small nod from Whitley’s head was especially poignant, the man smiling at her little brother.

“Don’t worry, little man. We’ll protect you and your family, because we are here to make sure that this Kingdom falls with as little bloodshed as possible. Even if the old enemy comes back from the dead, we’ll make sure that your family is protected, because one of us loves you all.”

_‘Old enemy? Oh, the Romanovs.’_

That made sense.

* * *

Jaune’s fingers guided the storm of frozen shards of moisture at the robots, the decimation of the remote-operated constructs with a loud clanging. With the doors in front of him barely meaning a thing, he knew well enough that there would be only a single path leading towards his destination.

The pulse of something in the air, a hum of something, as another Specialist stepped in front of his sight, another thirty names added to the tally of deaths that he had caused. It was not to the level of his father and mother, but he was rising through the ranks.

* * *

_“We kill people. We earn our money and our right to live from that, because we’re all working for the good of the world. We’re heroes of our own making, Jaune. When Atlas was formed, there was discontent, unease, the foundation of ‘democracy’ and the accumulation of power.”_

_His father’s eyes were serious as the hearth crackled in the freezing chill of the winter weather, as he sat on the man’s lap, waiting for the marshmallows to be ready. Several of his sisters were out on ‘errands’, now identified as missions to make sure someone didn’t breathe anymore._

_“No matter what you may think of us, know that we are working for the common cause of what your great-grandmother wished. Though she’s not here anymore, Jaune, you must understand that what we do is for the peace of this world.”_

_He hadn’t understood it at the time, but his father’s eyes were loving and devoted to the idea. The large hand on his head felt comforting as it gripped his head, turning it to the flames._

_“The fire is stoked by the wood that we put in, Jaune. Without fuel, a flame cannot be lit forever. Life must end, for the fuel to be given. You should just become a farmer, if you wish to. You cannot be like your mother and sisters, but we will love you anyways, always.”_

_The sword and shield that hung above the mantle glistened, weapons of his great-grandfather, the twin arcs on it making the symbol of the old Kingdom, an allegory for the Mantle which covered the sleeping body. It was a symbol that predated the Kingdom as it had been known once._

* * *

He had wanted to be a _hero._

He had wanted to be a hero so bad that he’d tried to shove the bad thoughts away, the power within his body burning like a frozen flame, embers lit within him. The gift of magic was burning within him.

He hadn’t been strong, like his sisters, when he’d been tested. He had never been able to do what they could with their gifts and their strength. They could have snapped him in half, yet they treated him like they loved him, and mother always said that he was her dearest son.

“Jaune Amadeus, right?”

_'That’s not a name people know. Only great-grandmother called me that…’_

The woman’s black cloak covered most of her body, the hood up, a single eye-patch visible, the symbol on it clearly showing the eye that had been undoubtedly missing, the skin visibly ragged and scarred , and one of the longest sniper rifles aimed right at his chest.

The woman could have taken a shot, the dark corset looking a little tattered, the ammunition cartridges that had been clipped on clearly showing that the weapon was meant for personal use. Dark hair fell in her face, loose, dyed with crimson streaks at the tip, if he recognized the hair dye well enough.

“That’s my name, yes. Did my father send you?”

The woman shook her head. A hand pulled out something, and he saw a picture. His mother, father and the woman and the other three that occupied the seats at the table, the men looking neutral in expression, and the woman looking like she was ready and determined.

_‘That confirms it.’_

“So, you can see that I’m friends.”

The fact that she knew his middle name was already a good indication. He only went by ‘Jaune Amadeus’ when around his parents or when gran-gran had come around.

_“Jaune Amadeus Von Arcadia!”_

The common translation of his name was something that usually was skipped. Mantlean wasn’t exactly a language you spoke commonly around Vale, you got odd looks when you did. Amadeus meant the same, after all.

“I’ll be sneaky-sneaky following after you and taking care of nuisances when I find them, alright? The boss said that I should keep you safe.”

The look on the woman’s face was serious, and he was reminded of Ruby for a brief moment as the woman’s sniper rifle adjusted itself a little, the woman’s awareness not letting up, the ‘brief’ instruction on Sniper Rifles that Ruby had given him having taken nearly six hours on the moving parts, Dust propellant and maintenance.

“Why did you join up with us?”

It was a legitimate question, something that he could only ask after he knew her to be genuine.

The woman’s features shifted a little, the single eye looking darkly for a moment.

“You know the truth now too. That’s… That’s why I joined. That mother of yours, she’s got one hell of a fighting style.”

He could imagine that too. Mom was always aware of the fact that she was the more ‘meat grinder’ out of the pair of her husband and herself.

“Did she take your eye?”

A short nod from the woman and he didn’t ask any more questions. The true enemy laid here within this building, capturing his sister and trying to open the Vault up without the proper key. Ozma undoubtedly was within as well, trying to get his hands on the Relic of Creation.

“Let’s get going. The boss said I should be getting to spend some time with my family if I do a good job, so chop chop!”

The excitable nature of the woman made him smile, as he motioned for her.

“Got a Scroll? I sort of got mine taken from me.”

It wouldn’t help that much, but he supposed that it would be nice to know where the Vault was. Winter would know, he knew. The Scroll that was handed to him was an older model, functional with the current tech but still relatively old.

_‘Mom and dad are likely with Winter now, and Nora should be there too… let’s see… Bear-dude, Moustachio, Leon, Sel- ahh, got it.’_

He rang the number.

“Did you get Jaune?”

The question was quick and his father’s voice was a little rougher than Jaune remembered, but that would be alright, the circumstances were perfect for it anyways.

“Dad? Eh, you’re at the Schnee house, right?”

A gruff ‘Yes’ came from the man, as his mother started to coo, as she always did. He’d been away from home for too long, he supposed, because the baby talk came straight out, something about ‘my cute widdly little teddy-weddy bumble-bear-bunny!’

_‘I forgot how embarrassing she could get…’_

“Mom… I’m not that bad. I’m nineteen now, I’ve-“

His mother took the Scroll and clicked the camera on. Pale features, proud red eyes that were manically peering at him, a smile that would make him and every other sister smile at any time of day on her face.

“Mommy is so proud of you, my little bunny-rabbit-man! Ooh, your fiancé is so pretty, and her sister too! You love mommy so much you went after someone who could be like Salome! Ooh, we should get together! Leonhard! We’re banging a Schnee before we leave for Vacuo.”

_‘Oh dear…’_

His mother was overly excited, which wasn’t a good thing. He didn’t think Willow had the sturdiness to deal with his mother when she was in a rutting mood. Dad liked to say that it was his aura that saved him, and Willow was just… _not_ a fighter.

“Mom, I don’t- Mom, please don’t hurt them, okay? I already said that I’d protect them, and all of my friends, I’m-“

His mother cooed softly.

“And there’ll be many babies. Mother will be here soon too!”

_‘Oh no…’_

That was bad.

“Is she mad?”

His mother laughed loudly, a shrill, cackling laugh that made him shiver a little. The cloaked woman stood at attention, readily scanning her surroundings in search of danger. They had a moment of reprieve now, he supposed.

“Not at all! ‘He’s such a good young man, standing up for his friends, Selena!’ She forgives you.”

That was good. Better, at least, than the alternative.

“I’m going to have to meet up with Saphron. Could you hand me to Winter? I’m… we’re kind of lost.”

Winter’s face was pensive, her eyes doubtful of him, suspicious undoubtedly because of his family. They weren’t the most unstained individuals, and they killed people for a living and for the grand plan, but it didn’t have to be an obstacle.

“This is treason against Atlas… Against Mantle, the kingdom and- Okay, where are you?”

Her hair was loose and she looked like she wanted to join him, that determined look on her face something that he adored with her. She was a woman who loved like there would be no tomorrow, who would not stop for an instant if there was danger in the area but who would strike out against it.

A woman that he didn’t feel he deserved, not after what he had done.

“The R&D section, and we’re kind of out of our depth here. Where is the place where the Relic is stored?”

The woman looked thoughtful, before she nodded.

“The room where Fria was kept, three hallways past it, go take a left, there is a long corridor leading to the elevator. You should take that elevator and ride it all the way down, to get to the Vault. You’ll likely find your sister there, as well as… as well as General Ironwood. What happened to the Ace Ops?”

He looked down for an instant and he sighed heavily.

“Dead. They resisted, I gave them the option to depart and let me go about my business. You never leave enemies alive, Winter… Hey… When all of this is over, do you want to go and take a stroll through the park again? We… We can go dancing, if you’d like to?”

The coos from his sister he pointedly ignored, as he waited for Winter’s response, for that moment where she’d speak up and deny him. He was a murderer, a sinner, a thief and a traitor. There was no reason why she would even deign to speak to him.

The small smile on her lips, the blush on her face and her eyes sparkling quietly.

“I’d love to go dancing with you, Jaune. It… It’s not worth dying for a man who would only wish to use power. I’d… I’d rather die for love, or just that feeling of being in love with you. You’re such a man that I’m overwhelmed, that I feel like a woman, rather than a puppet of the General, a Specialist groomed for the task of becoming the Winter Maiden, a-“

She stopped, her eyes peering at the camera, a smile on her lips.

“and I’d like to love you. I’d really like to love you. Come home soon, after you’ve freed your sister from the General and… and ended this. Mantle will never crack, Jaune.”

He could be assured of that. She was older than him by six years or so, but she was sincere. He could understand that, as he sighed.

“Just… Just tell my sisters that it’s amazing. I can do tricks now too.”

He could. It had always been them who had tried their best to make sure that he wasn’t left out. Their methods differed, but they loved him for what he was, for _how_ he was. Not gifted. Unskilled in combat. _Weak_.

He was stronger now, able to kill Grimm. It was a sign of how far he had came in his journey towards being a hero… well, before he had come to Atlas and his fate had asserted itself once more.

“Aww, that’s so cute. What are you going to do, throw a fireball at me? Ooh, Jauney’s scaaaaary!”

The amused teasing from Star was loud, and he sighed.

“No, but I can chill your drink for you, Star.”

Ice came easier to him than fire did. It was the weather, perhaps. Or it might be the remnant of the Winter Maiden’s own preference, as the magic burned in his body.

“Good. You’re a good and proper brother. Gotti learned how to chill drinks, Sabrina! Look, you can have an apprentice!”

_‘Damn it, stop calling me that. It’s embarrassing.’_

The Mantlean version of his name was Gottlieb. It wasn’t something that he really _liked_. Amadeus sounded much more stately, and it had been the name that gran-gran had given him.

“I’ll… see what I can do. Winter? Thank you. I’m- I’ll come back for you. I won’t be leaving you locked up in the tower. It ends tonight, and tomorrow, Atlas will have a victor to rule it.”

The woman at his side coughed.

“Can I, like… have my Scroll back? I kind of have to do a teensy little- oh, you don’t want to know that, would you?”

He sighed, giving a smile at Winter.

“I’ll be back. Star? I’m going to give you the mother of all noogies.”

Winter’s smiled at him, a look that was similar to the one on Willow’s face. It was his father’s Semblance keeping her in her place, as he knew well. He’d had the explanation about that from his father during a conversation through Scroll-mail about what aura was and why he hadn’t been informed of it.

“I’ll see you again, _Gotti_.”

He groaned. This was going to be a nickname that never would go away.

“I love you too, _Annie._ If I’m going to be suffering, so are you. _Winter Anastasia_ isn’t a name that is unusable for teasing, Winter.”

She smiled at him and he returned it. A tender expression on her face, a hope within her eyes that seemed to make things a little bit more bearable for him, a thought about settling down with her in the future, something that didn’t stop him from being there for her.

_‘It’s all for the right cause…’_

He was a weak man for a woman’s smile, as her younger sister had proven when they had been new at Beacon.

“Stop the flirting, we’ve got an Ironwood to smack. That half-metal bastard probably is doing horrible stuff to your sister.”

The thought was not unrealistic. Qrow Branwen and Clover Ebi were with the General, and there had been no mention or sighting of Oscar yet, the host of Ozma.

_‘We can’t get complacent.’_

They followed the directions that had been given by Winter, a long corridor standing in front of them, a lone sentinel standing there in front of him. The woman with him had hung back, allowing herself to slip into the shadows like a professional stalker.

“I have to stop you, Jaune.”

The words were directed at him, as Penny Polendina peered at him with an expression that was doubtful and yet resolute. The girl was surprised, confused and a little awkward, that hint of something in the air of indecision.

“You do not have to do this. The General is the one who abducted my sister, who arrested her for thinking that she is the Winter Maiden.”

He watched her, already looking indecisive, yet resolute.

“No, you murdered an old woman! You’re not going to get away with this, Jaune Arc.”

A soft chuckle, his eyes looking at her.

“Listen to yourself, Penny! ‘not going to get away with this’? Robyn Hill was elected a councilwoman because of election fraud! Do you believe that she would make a good councilwoman simply on the word of the General?!”

The woman would ruin the city with her Pro-Mantle vision. The Happy Huntresses had won the favour of the people without fully being cognizant of the issues that plagued the people. The Schnee Dust Company had held massive employment benefits for the people of Mantle, who should not be feeling the burden of the Grimm. If Jacques Schnee had been petitioned and had more of a care for the people, the issue with the Wall would not have existed.

“Yes. The general knows best!”

The girl hiccupped, and Jaune drew himself up to his full height, standing imposing and imperial before her. She was a robot, or so he’d heard from Ruby, easily replaced by another model. It wasn’t like he was willing to kill an innocent woman, but she was in the way. In the grand game that was being played, he would have to play as hard as he got.

“So if he told you to blow yourself up to kill Ruby, would you do that?”

Ruby was an innocent, a girl that did not think about the future too much other than the hope that she’d save someone and there would be a good future for her team with her. His eyes spotted the tell of surprise, before the robot doll with a soul spoke.

“Of course not! The general would not- He would not! He’s just going to- He told me to stop anyone from interfering!”

He watched, carefully, as the blades appeared in the woman’s hands, two blades that could be manipulated with magnetism or polarity. Pyrrha had bifurcated the girl with her Semblance. The coldness in his heart continued, as he felt the weight of the sins that he had committed increase, a slow exhale, his eyes closing.

“And what will they do to my sister? What will they do to Saphron, huh? Do you think the General is going to let me kill my own sister?”

Surprise within the doll’s eyes, as if that were only now realized. The limbs were perfectly still for a moment, and he could hear a tapping come from behind him. It likely was the woman who was with him, getting into position for a sneak attack.

“She will not be hurt! They will get the relic and then they will take the power of the Winter Maiden.”

A disgusted look on his face, as he looked at the girl’s features, set in that certainty that _everything_ would be alright. Casey and little Pyrrha’s face appeared in front of his mind’s eye, the pain that he felt inside welling up again.

“How do you think they are going to do that, Penny? I did what I _had_ to in order to make sure that Winter was _safe_! What do you think General Ironwood is going to do with my sister when he tries to extract the power of the Winter Maiden? You don’t _survive_ that, Penny. It binds with your Aura, and it does not leave until you die!”

Magic was like that. It was like a bar of energy that latched onto your soul, Aura the representation of the soul, guarding the body against harm. If you had magic, you had a near-infinite pool of power, something that only stopped when you were too exhausted to carry on, or so it’d been explained to him.

He had asked Jinn how to claim magic for his own. The knowledge had been useful.

“He’s not a bad man! He will make sure that she survives! Oscar is with her as well, he’s a good young man!”

_‘Damn.’_

A hush fell over him, as he felt the pain in his heart rise. He might lose a sister. Saphron wasn’t defenceless, but against a wizard of skill, she couldn’t go up against. Ozma had made a good move on the board.

“Sometimes, good men have to do _anything_ to make sure that those they love are protected.”

He had betrayed. He had killed. He had committed acts that were un-hero-like for the love of a woman. He was a villain and he was a powerful man.

“I will stop you.”

The tapping grew closer and he felt a hand on his shoulder, someone striding past him.

“And what, child, do you think you can do to stop him?”

The voice was familiar and as crafty and devious as it always had been. The night before the hearth, his great-grandmother’s hair lit up by the flames crackling in the hearth, her lips twisted into a smile that was warm and maternal, as she stroked her hand through his hair.

“Ma’am, please… This is a military facility. You are trespassing.”

The pale blonde hair was done up in the typical style for her, a single bun that had been wrapped carefully to give the appearance of elegance, the cool look on the woman’s face as her eyes stared at his opponent, the woman’s stride firm, the cane tapping onto the ground, the tall woman not needing it.

“I have served Mantle for my time as the High General of the Mantle Army, child. My name you may know as Guinevere Von Arcadia.”

She did not look 120 years old, but the woman was his great-grandmother, the woman that his mother called mother, after her own mother had perished due to natural causes. The icy blue eyes that stared at Penny Polendina had seen war and he shuddered, as the woman turned her gaze to him.

“I will forgive you for your crude words, Jaune Amadeus. It takes a real man to stand up for those that he loves and cherishes. I have been informed that you have eliminated the Winter Maiden as well as Tyrian Callows.”

The woman’s eyes were like the frosty plains of the world below the floating city of Atlas, as he nodded.

“Cinder killed… She killed the mother of my child, gran-gran.”

Blue eyes darkened and the woman’s face twisted in rage, as the eyes closed and a shuddering exhale was given.

“A… a child. Another sin for which that _foolish_ girl has been killed. Oh, the death she got was too swift… She knew the stakes of going against _my_ will.”

The woman turned her gaze to his opponent after she had addressed him, the livid rage within her eyes, as the ancient woman’s eyes gazed at the puppet of General Ironwood, imbued with a soul.

“Stand aside, child. Qrow Branwen is here… He will have to _answer_ for the _death_ of my daughter.”

Jaune shuddered at the rage that was wrapped in those words, the old woman’s steps not burdened by the venerable age she’d ascribed to herself as she moved towards the puppet, her eyes glinting, as Penny’s swords moved in a ready position and he was to take action.

“I will have to hurt you, ma’am. I’m sorry, but I have to do the General’s bidding.”

He could see his great-grandmother’s face clearly twist angrily, but he headed off an angry rant. Gran-gran could make the world think it had wronged her if she was angry enough.

“Gran-gran, please… Please, I’m-“

The woman’s eyes flickered angrily, shifting colours for a moment. That boded very ill for most people who evoked the woman’s wrath. Dad always said that gran-gran went for the throat and tore it out.

 _“No,_ Amadeus. You are my only grandson. I will not let you be harmed by a mere invention of metal and gears. I am-“

The blade pierced the woman’s chest mid-sentence, and he felt fear clutch at his heart. Penny’s eyes were wide as she stared at the blade that’d been thrust straight through the old woman’s heart.

“I said you shouldn’t come closer, but you didn’t listen. I-I said you shouldn't have, bu-but-”

The woman fell over and the blood stained the weapon, Penny leaping back. He knelt at his grandmother’s side, her eyes looking at him with a look of understanding. Fear rocked through his system, aware of what this meant, of what she meant to the world and to his family.

“Do you see, Jaune? They do not _need_ his governance. They _require_ a king and a queen to rule them. I wished that you didn’t have to see this. I regret showing you this.”

His Aura didn’t find a grip on her, as if she was never there, as if she wasn’t something that he could touch. A devouring maw within her, absorbing more and more, yet the wound did not heal.

“You _murdered_ someone. How much is your _vaunted_ worth, Penny, when all you do is bring _death?_ Pyrrha tore you apart, and she’s still dead whilst you _live_.”

His great-grandmother’s body laid on its side, as he took a step forward, close in proximity to the android robot girl, his nose smelling the synthetic skin. There was fear in the girl’s eyes, and for a moment he imagined that she was like Ruby, before he squashed that.

“How much is your _‘General Ironwood_ ’ willing to sacrifice before your blades are stained with blood, huh? You are a murderous _tool_ , something that has a soul, a soul of a murderer! Her blood is on your hands, Penny. Think of what they think of me, and now apply that to you.”

He looked into the robotic eyes, the blood dripping onto the ground. His great-grandmother’s body did not move. She was… She was dead. Likely. It firmed his resolve.

“Gran-gran was unarmed. You and I are the _same_. We fight for those we love and care about, and _damn_ the others who interfere. You murdered a woman who did not raise a weapon, who did not do anything but order you to stand aside. A High General is still higher in rank than a General. General Ironwood never made the rank of High General, yet he holds a seat on the council. General Ironwood is _no_ king, nor is he able to declare martial law with just a single seat. A tyrant usurper, that’s what he is.”

The military ranks functioned like that, as the last High General had been the direct inheritor to the throne, should Mantle fall. His great-grandmother had been that inheritor, more legitimate than the Council that had been erected in the place of it. Mantle had accepted the Council as a suggestion, rather than it being written into law as in the other kingdoms.

“She didn’t obey my orders, I- I stabbed her! I’m sorry, I- I was just following orders.”

His eyes darkened in anger, as he pointed at the body. Blood was starting to leak from the body.

“Following orders? FOLLOWING ORDERS?!”

The power of the Winter Maiden froze the walls as the rage erupted within him, the blood freezing, his great-grandmother’s body chilling immediately, the flare of power within his eyes erupting, his features twisted.

“Oh, you were just following orders, weren’t you? Didn’t you think that they’d be happy to know that the Defender of Mantle was murdering the family of the one they admired as the guardian of their kids?”

He remembered their faces, the funeral that he had attended. Casey had asked for sex but he’d denied her.

“Marzipan Oil and Theresa Tin, ‘Penny Polendina’. You _murdered_ them, by your presence. Where were _you_ when Tyrian Callows brutally murdered them, huh? What has your _general_ done for Atlas and Mantle, rather than separate the people? How many more people will _die_ because of you, you soulless creature? Isn’t it enough to obey a Master who would rather see his people _suffer?_ I made a deal and I _keep_ my word. If I say she would be safe, she will be safe!”

He remembered the conversation. He knew the plan.

* * *

_“Anything. Anything to keep them safe. No matter what you say, I will keep them safe, you know me well enough for that!”_

_There was silence. Eyes had been closed and Nora and Ren looked nervously at him. He had delivered an ultimatum, a demand, something that he couldn’t take back. He squared his shoulders, and looked at the opposing party, as a quiet nod was all that was given._

_“It seems you will die a hero, Jaune Amadeus Von Arcadia.”_

* * *

He didn’t regret the thought. He had been foolish to assume that people would be guided by idealism, hope and high dreams. He was foolish to even think that the people would be orderly, that General Ironwood would see sense…

_‘A stupid game, a stupid prize and a war that is without end. It must end._

“B-but it wasn’t my fault, I- I didn’t see anything, and-“

The fear on the doll’s face was palpable and he looked at her, aware of the doubt she experienced.

“Of course it is your fault! Why would a doll go to visit the major political rival’s victory party? Why were you sent there, if not to kill as many as you could, because Tyrian Callows worked with General Ironwood! After Leonardo Lionheart’s treachery, do you really think that your general is above suspicion?”

The doll was confused, and he pressed on. Lies, undoubtedly, but they were something that could rattle the girl, allowing him to gather more of the power within him, bringing the force to bear and letting it bear down.

“And all that stands in my way is _you_. A simple little robot doll that can be _replaced_. I am the _big_ bad _villain_. After all… General Ironwood wouldn’t want a challenger to his throne, right?”

He accepted what he was, at least. A liar. A cheat. A villain of the story that had started out with a boy who had wished to become a hero.

_“Once you realize that there is no path towards heroics that won’t lead down that dark road of despair and revenge, Jaune, I will be waiting.”_

“You’re wrong, he- he wouldn’t! He’s-“

He walked closer, hearing the sound of the associate of his father move closer.

“He _would_. Why else did he want to let you guard his only entrance to the Vault, Penny? You are _expendable_. You were never _alive_ , after all. When you die, you wake up in another fresh body… And Pyrrha will never wake up again. This is for Pyrrha, Casey and little Pyrrha, Terry and Marzi, for all the people that General Ironwood has hurt by making his decisions to suppress the choices of the people.”

The robot was unstable, unsteady, and he could hear the click of the rifle, as he’d heard often with Ruby and others, Pyrrha’s own rifle having a special mechanical click to it, heard often during their training. She had always wanted to keep him safe, he knew.

“You’re going to _die,_ Penny. Die for a _hopeless_ cause. Die, _knowing_ that when the next day comes, it will be me walking out of the ruins of this Academy, with new leadership for Atlas and Mantle. _Unity… Peace._ I did it all so that those I love can be _safe_! Even if they hate and revile me for who I am and who I am related to, I can say that I _tried._ I will never be a hero, but I will make a damn great villain. I was willing to _talk_ , to offer the help he needed, but he took my sister from me. It’s true what they say…”

A bitter feeling in his heart, as his eyes fixated on the robot.

“Live long enough, fall in love with someone and you will see that there will be a villain staring back at you in the mirror, because of the things you do for the people you love. I’m sorry, Penny. I’m ending this now. Ozma is wrong, and I will _not_ let him hurt my friends in his futile war! ALL THINGS _MUST_ DIE!”

The bullet whizzed past his ear with a dull warping sound, Penny’s arm blown off, as another shot sounded and the bullets blasted off the limbs of the robot doll that had been given a soul. Penny laid there, her legs torn off.

_‘It doesn’t even seem to faze her…’_

The robotic girl looked distressed, but the woman who had taken a rearguard position had been aware of things as he’d monologued.

“R-Ruby?”

The question, as the woman walked closer, the hood pulled up, exposing the pale features, the woman shaking her head lightly. The single eye showed only a cool indifference within their pale depths, Jaune nearly thinking her blind, if not for the motion of the retina.

“I am not her. You are mistaking me for someone else. Rest well, knowing that you were defeated by someone better.”

He watched as the barrel of the rifle was aimed at the robotic girl’s chest and the woman pulled the trigger, a flare of Dust flashing as the woman obliterated the core of the robot, the head going silent, a small beeping and flickering, as the internal power source faded out.

He watched the body of his great-grandmother, the woman who had been responsible for educating him in how to manipulate the people. He could see the body twitch, quivering for a moment as a golden glow covered the woman’s extremities, the wound healing up immediately as the woman got up.

“A bit too lengthy, but a noble speech, Jaune.”

The illusion had shattered. Pale veins were showing on the woman’s facial features, filling with a dark ichor, and his arms wrapped around her.

“Gran-gran, you’re fine, I heard, but-“

He hadn’t believed it. He didn’t want to believe it, as the older woman’s arms wrapped around him.

Red eyes and black sclera stared at him, a memory of the earliest days of his youth, of the songs that she’d sang to him, her first grandson. His mother and sister and their mother had not been born naturally, but they had held the gift.

“Saphron is still alive, my dear. I can feel the gift within her veins. Oh, my sweet little Jaune. You have done _so_ well. Killing Tyrian Callows, subverting Arthur Watts…”

A snap of the fingers, and the woman with her sniper rifle pulled something out of a pocket on her corset, taking to a knee.

“I now take you as my lawfully wedded husba-“

Gran-gran made a sound of disagreement, and the woman flushed.

“Okay, okay, I was just wanting to do that once. My daughter wasn’t… y’know, born with a mommy and a daddy being married. Here’s your ring.”

He looked at the ring box that was offered and he opened it up, spotting the large signet ring, the symbol of his great-grandmother pressed upon it. A sign of being worthy to have a seat at the table that Salem held. 

“Welcome to my table, Jaune Amadeus, beloved by God.”

He smiled at his great-grandmother and then put the ring on his ring finger, a smooth fit, as if it’d already been made.

“I’ve… I’ve stolen the power of the Winter Maiden, gran-gran.”

The woman nodded, as a kind smile appeared on her lips, something that he’d only seen when she reminisced about the past.

“You finally hold magic as well, my dear. Does it not feel _wonderful_? Your sisters are changed by the power, their bodies not as sturdy as that of your mother. She was designed from the corpse of my first ‘daughter’. You… You were born different. _Perfect_. A natural birth, after the first one died, from the lesser daughter, _fully_ human.”

The dark look of anger in her eyes flickered there, as he felt her hug him tighter than before.

“I love you, my stupid little grandchild. You always were destined to be great, my little Amadeus.”

He smiled at his great-grandmother, Salem as she was known to the leech upon the soul of Oscar Pines and nodded, indicating with his arm to the space in front of him.

“Let’s go down, shall we?”

The door was opened which led to the lift and the shaft leading down to the Vault, and they stepped onto the lift after great-grandmother had applied her illusion once more, something he wished that he could do. He didn’t know how to do it, but he knew that she probably could teach him. He could see a platform suspended down below, as the gears whirred, and he watched the three people who stood there, a machine sitting there, blonde hair visible within one of the pods for the people in that machine that he knew so well from the past.

A flashback to Pyrrha and the Maiden, and he watched the General and Clover stand there, together with Qrow. Three for three. The Huntress shifted a little, the hood pulled up again to shroud her features in half-darkness.

“Watch out for the bad luck Semblance, Lady Salem. It is… annoying.”

Jaune’s suit was dyed red with the blood of others, his eyes looking sharply into the blue eyes that belonged to his grandmother, who smiled encouragingly at him, whilst the Huntress sized up Qrow Branwen, Clover Ebi standing there at attention through the scope of her rifle. He couldn't help but add the information for the woman's knowledge.

“The guy with the fish hook has a Semblance that causes good luck. They cancel each other out, I guess. Gran-gran?”

The witch looked at him and smiled, a warm smile that was kind, just as he remembered her. Gran-gran was beautiful when she was able to be there for the family that she loved.

“Do not worry, Jaune. I am capable of defending myself.”

She was immortal, he knew. It was not something that he had believed, because it wasn’t talked about, but…

But if all you knew was your big sisters having magic, of Saphron flying outside, testing her altitude control, what else could you expect?

He had known not a thing about Aura when Pyrrha had informed him of it…

But he had known about _magic_. It was a secret, as it would get his family hunted down, his great-grandmother had said.

You could trust your family.

“Let’s end this party… and go and have dinner together, gran-gran. I’m sure that Winter would _love_ to meet you.”

She would. Everything that he had done was for the best of the people who lived in Mantle and in Atlas.

If you had to tell your great-grandmother that you would stand with the people in opposition to her, to save those people you loved, standing straight-backed and dedicated to the goal you had in mind, it was worth at least to apologize, and to know that you were still beloved.

“I was invited, after all. It was mere happenstance that I so happened to overhear of your little issue and decided to place a visit myself to ensure that certain pests were taken care of. You know what to do, I expect no hesitation. They are enemies and they follow Ozma’s words.”

The last words seemed to be directed to the woman at his side, the illusion slid further over his great-grandmother’s features, the walking cane which she ‘supported’ herself on looking like it was ancient, as the regal features of his great-grandmother stared down at the people gathered there.

“I’m… I’m aware. She should have _never_ become a Huntress, but- but Qrow undoubtedly let her believe that her mother was some _noble_ individual. You… You showed me the truth. There is only _death_ and _pain_ for those who try to do good in the world. My… My daughters will be safe.”

Love.

Family.

Friends.

All those things were worth fighting for, and he knew that he was a son of Selena Von Arcadia, the grandson of the woman who stood next to him, after the first clone had died. Selena, daughter of Morgana, granddaughter-in-flesh to Salem of the kingdom of Arcadia.

Born a villain, desiring to be a hero, and realizing that it was inevitable. He had hurt, killed and betrayed everyone. He was ending this.

It’s all a party to those in power, a game of lives and wills and money.

It was time that he did his family proud and accepted his life as it was, and he could only hope that the Schnee family and his friends would accept him for who he was.

Just Jaune.

_‘Do you believe in destiny?’_

Pyrrha’s voice, as he looked at the people below, as the platform slowly descended.

_‘This is for you, Pyrrha. You deserved more than just a statue and being held to such a high standard. You were the first girl that showed an interest in me… and thank you for that. Casey… I’m sorry for getting you killed. I’m so sorry… But I’ve got to do this. Family is more important, and this will make sure that Atlas will be safe from the Grimm.’_

To do evil unto those who wish to do good was terrible, but if General Ironwood had wished to improve Atlas the Kingdom, he should not have forgotten about the people of Mantle.

To the two immortals, it was all a party.

* * *

**Well… this puts quite a few things into context. Do you really think of family as evil, even when you know they’ve done so many horrible things? Not really.**

**To him, they’re his family. The madness and the thirstiness is definitely because of the magic in their system. The more they have, the crazier you get and the less Aura you have. Pure magic = no Aura. Simple.**

**Sperance was right about one of the underlying themes of the story. People lie, and Jaune wanted to keep people safe. I guess people just eh, saw this coming. The Party is nearly over, it’s Salem Vs. Ozma now. I wonder where the lad is...**

**Jaune's mom and dad are agents of Salem (and daughter and husband-of-the-daughter). Yay. If this turns out to be canon and Jaune is related to Salem, I'll be able to say 'Damn, I was right'.**

**Leave a comment if you’d like to.**


	27. It's a revolutionary party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversations, conflagrations and consternation.
> 
> Oh, and diplomacy fails. But that was expected.

**This is the end... well, the ending chapters.**

* * *

As the lift descended towards the platform in the Vault that contained the Relic of Creation, he allowed himself the moment of recollection, before it would be time to fight once more.

The Huntress at the side of gran-gran was shifting a little, nervous energy in her motions, her singular eye staring through the lens of the scope for a moment, checking the optics for an instant, the ease with which his grandmother stood there, as if the world was merely an instant that would pass before her.

_‘Whatever comes…’_

The lift stopped and his great-grandmother moved, the steps with measured pace, the unsmiling faces of General Ironwood and Clover Ebi looking as serious as the declaration of war that he’d brought to their kingdom, the declaration of his family to the Kingdom that had abandoned them. They had been founded here, a scientist’s gift for genetics used to create something for his great-grandmother… or rather, his grandmother, since the first subject was barely viable enough to live.

“Mister Arc… You seem to have escaped custody and killed several of my best and brightest men and women, including Penny Polendina, if you've managed to reach this place.”

The look on General Ironwood’s face was calm, the beard looking to have been groomed a little better. Jaune knew that it was all banter, that it would be something that he could wish for. The Huntress had pulled the cowl down a little and the face-cover up, allowing her features to be mostly shrouded in the shadows.

“I have.”

The man was addressing him, whilst his great-grandmother was present.

“And you’ve brought with you an old woman and another Huntress. Have you come to surrender?”

He had not come to do that. Gran-gran spoke up.

“Whether he has or whether he has not, it is not the question right now. I am Guinevere Von Arcadia, High General of Mantle. I will offer you one chance to surrender, General James Ironwood of the Kingdom of Atlas.”

The ultimatum, spoken with the formal terms that had been current in the Great War, the voice of gran-gran strong and without the tremor of age that she infused it with at times if she had to play ‘helpless old woman’.

He had the sneaking suspicion that she did it just to see how far people would go for an old woman.

“So, you were a Von Arcadia…”

The man’s eyes looked right at him, dismissing gran-gran as a threat. The man’s eyes were stoic and focused, his hands going to the sidearms that he used as his personal weapons. Gran-gran moved to the man.

“Your surrender would be most appreciated, General. The Council aside from you is dead. Your reputation in this world is void and null. You do not have anything worthy to speak of aside from a tarnished reputation, yet I will ensure that Atlas will remain as great as possible with your surrender.”

The pod opened and Oscar Pines emerged, weary-faced and tired.

“It… It _didn’t_ work. Why? She should be the Winter Maiden, I-“

Oscar, the leech-infested body of Ozma, looked, and James Ironwood addressed him, voice strict.

“Can you fight?”

The question hung in the air, Oscar nodding once, before he looked over at him, dismissing the sight of his gran-gran. The man should know who she was, but it probably hadn’t registered just yet.

“Y-yes. I- Who is that?”

Gran-gran raised herself to her full height, a raised eyebrow, the other pod’s door exploding and Saphron levitating out of it, her hair clinging to her face, sweat dripping from her face. Her eyes looked a little crazier than usual. 

_'Not good...'_

“That _hurt_.”

It was surprise on Clover’s face, Qrow turning his head to Saphron for a moment, the glow of power around Saphron starting up immediately.

“She’s- _oh no_.”

Oscar turned to look at him.

“Is that Guinevere Von Arcadia?”

The small nod from gran-gran of acknowledgement was something that was undoubtedly the little hint that was needed for the boy-host to feel the despair, as he kept his hands at his side, General Ironwood’s frazzled state looking like the paranoia had sunk in fully.

“Why, _yes._ It is me, _Ozma_.”

The vitriol and anger within the voice of the woman was fierce, as General Ironwood’s gun fired twice, a bullet hitting gran-gran between the eyes and in the chest, the body slumping to the floor. Jaune took a deep breath, aware of gran-gran’s status as an immortal. It hadn’t been the time to tell Saphron.

“Gran-gran?!”

It was not a pet name that one often heard spoken around mom and dad, the body laid there for a moment, Oscar’s eyes widening. The host of Ozma seemed to have put one and two together and made three… Not an unusual thought, he surmised.

“No, James! She’ll just-“

The blast of flame from Saphron’s side was blocked, whilst Jaune looked on, Saphron’s wrathful features making her look like an evil witch from the stories, not the loving and kind woman that he knew from growing up with her.

“Clover, deal with the other woman. Qrow? Take out Jaune Von Arcadia.”

The man’s eyes looked like they had just heard the worst news, his face showing clearly the lack of patience that came with the circumstances. Jaune didn’t see much restraint in those eyes, the passion mingling with patriotism and the fervor to fight and die for one’s country. His eyes glinted as he observed the General, the guns in his hands aimed right at him.

“Jimmy, wait. You should look at the situation, at how things are looking! Take a look at the big picture. What if-“

The man’s words weren’t anything that resembled calmness and ration, Qrow trying his best as gran-gran rose once more, rubbing her forehead.

“Quite the bother, I’ll say. Saphron, my dear, do calm down. At most, it was an inconvenience.”

The blast of flame that nearly hit the General was hot enough to make Jaune feel it, as the man leapt away, straightening once more into a fighting stance, watching Saphron as she floated, her face looking rather ‘mom-like’. No longer were the blue eyes kind and gentle, the whites of her eyes having the bloodshot look that always accompanied it, turning slowly purplish in colour. They got like that, when they used their special skills.

“But- I want to kill him, gran. He’s _mine_ to kill, and the others said that I should. Isn’t that what you want?”

Salem sighed softly, as she regarded Oscar, who had taken a few steps back, the illusion sliding away, the dark dress and the pale skin like a mark upon the scenery, as the Huntress raised her weapon.

“No, this is a private business, little one. We shall go and see whether our dinner is still ready for us… I would _so_ love to see the face of the girl that Jaune has picked for one of his wives.”

_‘Oh… I forgot about her being rather old-fashioned…’_

Polygamy had been legal, he recalled from the lessons on the past. Oscar seemed to be about to say something, caught within the situation.

“Salem, let them go. This is between you and me.”

The direct voice of Ozma came from his lips once more, the child replaced by the leech upon his soul, the question soft, as the woman laughed coldly. Ironwood seemed to take a deep breath, looking t her.

“Qrow… Clover… We’re up against odds that are not in our favour.”

The look on Yang’s uncle’s face was dire, as his eyes looked at Jaune’s great-grandmother, the man’s eyes looking like they wanted to say something.

“I said I’d be with you, Oz. I’ll not fail again.”

A scoffing sound came from the Huntress as she pulled the hood back and lowered the facial cover, her silver eye angrily staring at the man, whose face seemed to twist.

“Just like you left me to _die_ , Qrow? Just like your sister, always running away when it got convenient! Did you ever tell Ruby that you _abandoned_ me?”

The bitter voice of the woman, who seemed to be related to Ruby, or at least, was genetically related to her mother, the eyepatch covering her eye like a grim reminder.

“You don’t understand! That crazy bitch came back for me and I didn’t have a choice!”

The words were sharp, the woman’s weapon raised, aiming right at Qrow. Clover looked like he’d rather be elsewhere, his eyes looking at his superior and at Qrow for guidance, General Ironwood’s eyes never quite leaving him.

_‘It’s personal, isn’t it?’_

It had never been personal for him. Cinder had been the enemy, General Ironwood just an obstacle to be conquered or diverted. An enemy that could have been left alone, convinced to join out of zeal for the land that he loved…

_‘This is what we bring to the world. Strife. Conflict. Trial.’_

“Oh, so it was _alright_ to leave poor Summer to die, huh? Was it alright to let me see my own eye being eaten in front of me by a woman who was giggling and screaming one moment, huh!? So much for _loyalty_ , Qrow! Raven left, and you left too, huh!? Birds of a feather!”

The man flinched, looking away shamefully.

“I’ll take her, if you’d like to take care of Mister Arc.”

Clover’s voice was nervous and a little cautious, Jaune could tell. One of the belts snapped suddenly and the man was getting nervous, the four-leafed clover attachment bouncing off the platform.

“No, I’m… This is just a ghost of the past.”

Summer snarled, her sniper rifle barking with a shot once, the bullet deflected by Harbinger, as Qrow got in a ready position.

“You should watch out for her shots. She’s always been more of a ranged fighter, but in the years that I’ve not seen her, I’ve-“

The man’s body leaned too far forward and his belt snapped, the metal hitting Clover in the eye. It was bad luck, as the man’s amped Semblance caused the effects to go haywire.

“Well… That’s just bad _luck,_ isn’t it?”

A cackling laugh from Summer, her sniper rifle shooting once more, the flare of Dust blinding Jaune for an instant before his eyes adapted, his body starting to levitate a little as he looked at the Ace Ops commander, ready to fight him.

“You’re an eyesore, Jaune. You’ve managed to derail the system, you’ve managed to ruin Atlas!”

The older man did not say much more than that before the gun fired, the report of the gun bouncing through space, Jaune’s Aura flickering from the hit that it had taken. The General had taken the initiative, and Jaune floated up, the frozen power within his body starting to radiate outwards.

“At least I tried to keep the people safe, James! Can you say the same for Mantle? Have your good intentions been waylaid by the world’s ills and your own drive to be the best of the best, for a single city?”

The man’s anger was clear, the cool expression no longer to be found on the man’s face, merely disdain and disgust mingling together within the man’s expression, the frustration of the world coming down around the man undoubtedly an influence.

“At least I will go down fighting! For the people of Atlas, I will sacrifice everything that I have!”

The man’s words were angry as the guns fired again, Jaune moving side to let the bullets pass him by, his eyes trained on the man.

“Why not surrender? You can live, James! She is forgiving if you lay down your weapons and submit!”

It would be a minor punishment at most, and the administration of the city would need to be carefully guided, but James Ironwood would be a capable military advisor at the least. The man had not gone and gotten his rank by merely investigating Grimm incursions, after all.

“And serve a woman who controls the Grimm? A woman who would betray everyone that ever served her? Do not kid yourself, she never would have placed you in her favour if you did not serve her so well.”

Saphron’s angry shout drew his attention, the blast of fire from his older sister scorching the platform. Oscar was trying to fend off the blows with his cane, affecting a look of consternation, as if it were a young teenage boy trying to fend off Saphron’s fierce strikes.

“She’s someone who doesn’t tolerate failure well, but she’s still my great-grandmother, no matter what people may say. You trust love, rather than fear punishment!”

Love was the most virulent poison that could bring good men to do horrible things, his attention slipping back to the General, whose face looked like it was carved from stone. The man’s two guns were aimed at his centre of mass, Jaune’s eyes watching calmly as the man reasoned with that statement, before he fired. Two of the bullets exploded against his chest, his Aura barely depleted, shimmering with the power that he’d infused within it.

“Flattery, Jaune. I already am aware of being magnificent, you do not need to flatter me so much.”

Gran-gran said, as she strode forward, Oscar’s scared look definitely bringing a small spark of something, as she looked at the host of the leech.

“Salem… do you really think this will help you? What will it bring you except more despair?”

Ozma’s voice, or rather, Professor Ozpin’s voice, came from the young man’s throat, her eyes looking at the young man that stood before her, her tongue sliding over the lips that’d been well-painted with a faint coating of lip-gloss, something that ‘kept them nice and smooth, so as not to dry the skin’.

“Despair, my _dear_ husband? Oh no, I do not think it will be _despair…_ We have already won. With General Ironwood here currently wanted on account of treason to the lawful order of Atlas… There can only be one person to stride from these ashes. It is the best option, _husband_ , for which I obtain the Relic of Creation and you obtain pain.”

The angry look on Ozma’s face was definitely something that Jaune had been expecting, as Saphron backed off, floating back whilst the air around gran-gran crackled, the woman levitating a little as well. Jaune was aware of his own levitation, something that he had only done for a momentary impulse, floating up a little more, the full power of the Winter Maiden emerging from his eyes.

“I am the one who holds the power of Salem, granted to me by my grandmother.”

It was best to lie. Lies always could make the enemy underestimate or overestimate your power. Salem’s eyes glinted with amused interest as she smiled, Ozma’s eyes widening.

“Did you not think that I would not give my power away, Ozma? Are you that foolish to assume that I would not know how to share my power with a young man who bears a passing resemblance to the children that we once had together? A family, _‘husband’,_ which you _took_ from me!”

Oscar’s expression looked twisted, his confidence obviously rattled by the statement, Jaune’s focus on the man again. The sound of thunderous cracks from Summer’s sniper rifle kept the two Huntsmen at bay, Jaune’s eyes catching sight of Summer flicking the heavy cloak at the men, Qrow going down after the reinforced garment snagged his leg, Summer blocking Clover after another instant.

“So, you are a child of a woman who wants to kill all of us.”

The General’s voice was serious and without any sort of doubt, convinced once more that the ruse was as it was, Jaune’s smile almost warm, affecting his great-grandmother’s attitude to better ensure that the message would carry.

“What would we rule over, if all the people are _dead,_ General? Why not submit to her and swear fealty. So long as you swear to obey the will of her, no Grimm will dare to attack Mantle and Atlas.”

She held that power. He at least, thought she did. If gran-gran could bring him to the place near her home to visit aunt Salome’s grave, then it wouldn’t be too hard to think that she held some influence about that. He had never seen a Grimm, though he hadn’t been allowed to wander anywhere without gran-gran being there. It had been for his safety, and he'd believed her.

“The people will be hurt! Atlas will fall when the Relic is taken!”

_‘So what? What were you planning on using Winter for then?’_

It was cruelty that Jaune could see, excuses that were being made. He could see Saphron sneaking up to the fight that Summer was handling, Qrow standing back, reluctant to engage in.

“And Atlas will be _GONE_ when you rouse her anger, Ironwood! Do not lose sight of the greater objective of the people of Mantle’s safety for the safety of Atlas! This way, nobody else has to die!”

The man wasn’t going to be swayed. Jaune remembered Casey’s hopeful murmurs in bed, the whispers in his ear during those moments where he’d been with her in an intimate manner. She’d smiled at him, something that he’d always wanted to see, the feeling of something in his chest rising up as he saw the determined expression on the general’s face. He was not going to be beaten by the mere prowess of a man who commanded his armies from a distance, who determined who should live and who should die by the mere formulaic indifference of a man who drew up the strategy and expected his orders to be followed.

_“We believe in you, Jaune. You’ve- You’ve done so much for the people of Mantle, and… and I think you’d make a wonderful husband for some lucky girl or woman. Even Pyrrha likes you.”_

Casey had been a spark of hope in a dark time in his life, his gaze observing the General’s motions, remembering the woman that he loved now pacing in much the same way. The focus of the man on him alone, to the exclusion of everything else around him.

“Shut up, Qrow! You’re just as guilty as Ozpin was! Who was it that sent us there, in the hope of finding it, huh? I held out for years, aware that I was captured, but you never came for me! And then… And then she showed the _truth_ to me!”

The woman was shouting, Saphron’s motions swift, Clover’s body jolting a little as a long thin blade pierced straight through his chest, emerging from the breastbone as she drove it there, pulling it out, Qrow’s startled sound enough to make Summer’s cackle sound almost manic.

“She _can’t_ die, Qrow! It won’t be enough to cut her, to hurt her, to scar her… She’ll always return, the same way as ever! I was given a blade and I cut her, I was handed a rifle and I shot her, I was told that there was an incinerator in which she could step and she just reformed! She _reformed,_ Qrow!”

The man didn’t seem to be too impressed by that, as he lowered his weapon. He knew about Gran-Gran's issue. He hadn't seen it before, but Summer had, and she'd cracked.

“What do you want, Summer? I’m…”

Qrow glanced at Oscar and Salem, the two still facing off, then to the General of the Atlesian forces. Summer’s single eye looked like she was about to spout off another line, the man sighing.

“I’m done with this. I’m _more_ than done with this. I’m just…”

The man looked at Ironwood, Jaune seeing that he desired guidance, his eyes guiltily going to his former team leader. It was a look of pain, regret and fear of something that laid beyond those words, something that showed a lack of hope.

“She loved you more than you could imagine, Qrow Branwen. She had pictures of you stapled to the walls of her room, her eyes alight with the happiness of a girl in love… and you _killed_ her. It _hurt_ seeing her hang there, knowing that she had died for _love_.”

Gran-gran spoke up, her eyes never shifting from Ozma, Qrow wincing at the tone.

“She snuck into bed with me! There she was, just looking like some kind of sick slug, looking at me with those eyes and smiling and saying that she’d like to be with me forever! I couldn’t do anything but refuse her, because I know that she was not right in the head! She was unstoppable, but she drooped off after I told her no.”

Summer laughed, a burst of shrieking, near-frantic laughter. Ruby couldn’t laugh like that, but her mother could.

“You can’t stop her, Qrow! Salem, Selena… I tried! I tried so hard, I did my best, sliced, diced, chopped and stabbed, but they just kept on returning! It’s futile! You can’t go on, thinking ‘The next time will be better’, because the next time, there will just be fewer people! Don’t you get it? Don’t you know what she is? She’s immortal!”

Qrow seemed to be even worse off, but Ironwood looked devastated by the news. The man’s eyes looked at Salem with surprise, disbelief was written on his face at the news that the woman could not be killed or defeated, Summer’s own realization seemingly having brought her to the point where she had switched masters.

_‘Nobody told you about her little dying issue?’_

Another strike for Ozma, whilst Saphron wiped the blood off on Clover’s vest, a smile that was as warm as always on her lips, as the fight between Summer and Qrow seemed to have ceased. The glint in Saphron’s eyes was just as it should be, happy and bright and her fingers made a little tapping motion.

“Surrender now… Or _die_ here, James. Is it really worth dying for a Kingdom that will be mine eventually?”

The man could be addressed by his first name, Jaune knew. It would be kinder to respect the man’s status, but in this world where power was the only thing that really counted… well…

“No! I would die for the people of my Kingdom! And you will die with me! If I can take away one thing from her, it’s an advantage for the next person to rise up against her.”

The man charged him, gran-gran not moving aside, Saphron’s stab missing by the General’s sudden charge, Jaune watching the man, waiting for him to come close. The ground around him froze, the General frozen in his steps, as Jaune focused his attention on the man, an angry and wrathful expression on his face, clearly intending to take him down with him.

_‘How much would that solve against someone who can fly?’_

“A general must be prepared to sacrifice everything, James. There is no task too great, no burden too heavy, if victory is within grasp. At times, sacrifices must be made in order to ensure that the bigger whole is kept safe. Right… _Ozma_? Are we not the same, _dearest_ husband?”

Salem’s voice was soft and seductive, the woman never having glanced away from the wizard possessing the body of the boy, the indecisive look on her face.

“You won’t be able to make me lose hope, Salem. As long as there is someone who’s willing to take up arms, who is able to make sure that the world breathes another breath… I’ve planted the seeds within another, and there will be yet another to take up the burden. You may divide people, but humanity will always band together!”

The words were like a charm that was repeated over and over, words that would beguile those who wished for hope into something that might be called the inverse of the followers of his great-grandmother, the woman’s expression barely changing.

“And they will be divided once more, Ozma. They will be unified for a time, before some war comes upon them. Only those who are appointed with the lineage and the power to back it up, will be something that resembles order within the world, husband.”

The general’s gun shot loose one of the frozen feet, before it was turned towards him, the man’s eyes looking dangerous and like there was the desire to kill. Jaune supposed that it would be right to call it a bloodthirsty look, a look of someone who was like a caged animal, fighting for its freedom and safety.

“I can still take you down! You bleed just as well as anyone else does!”

The click of the gun as it shifted to a secondary form was loud, and Jaune watched as the miniature mortar-gun-blade pointed straight at him, the dull ‘Thump’ of the mechanism firing, the bullet ejected from the barrel and then freezing mid-air as below-zero temperatures froze the air around him.

“I do, yes. That won’t mean that I allow myself to be killed.”

Saphron’s blade reached the man and cut through the man’s left side, emerging from the flesh, his sister’s body rocking the tall man’s form slightly as the blade emerged from his side, glowing red-hot with the fiery magic that she had imbued within it.

The man screamed, yet Jaune’s eyes watched how he flailed, Saphron stabbing once more, the blade bouncing off the metal side of the man’s body, the blood that splattered onto the man’s coat. The other gun in his hand fell from suddenly lifeless fingers, the mechanical arm shutting down.

“You should have realized, James, that a lot of the things I said weren’t true. The power of the Winter Maiden lies safe… and it will serve my family.”

He grabbed the gun from the ground, the coldness around him growing. A shrill beeping came from the man’s chest, a smile on the man’s face.

“You’re _all_ going to die. The moment the explosives in my chest go off, there’ll be no more Jaune Arc to bother the world. Did you really think I didn’t prepare for this eventuality? Atlas will be the greatest Kingdom in the world!”

_‘I think that it’s something that wouldn’t be too out of mind. All that would be needed would be…’_

He grabbed the man’s fleshy arm and flew to the door, the man struggling a little as shriller beeping came from the man’s chest. A countdown, something to warn the people around that the man was going to explode. To the door in the floating rock he flew, watching as Summer glanced in his direction, the door opening.

“You’re the maid-“

The door opened and Jaune could see the Staff of Creation floating within a frozen void, the hand that he held moving, as the forward moving force sent the body of James Ironwood careening through the portal.

_‘Close it… now.’_

The door shut again and there was silence. Not a sound leaked out from the man, and Jaune sighed deeply.

“Aww… He was going to die by my hands, Jaune… You stole my kill from me.”

Trust Saphron to complain, as he smiled at his sister.

“Hey, I’ve got to grow up sometime, don’t I? The Relic should be safe… Or well, I don’t think that the man could scratch it.”

The Relics should be sturdier than that. Ruby had been carrying the lamp of knowledge around for a while and nothing had ever managed to scratch it.

“I guess… But you’re going to keep silent about stealing my kill, Jaune. They’d tease me for not being able to kill the target.”

_‘Well, we’re ALL murderers now…’_

It wasn’t like he should care much about it, but he did. Oscar and gran-gran were talking, the anger on the face of the leech-ridden young man’s face enough to clue him in that gran-gran wasn’t sparing him for anything.

“Of course not, _dear_ husband. You can consider Atlas _forfeit…_ and it is all by the virtue of my grandson’s actions. Did you really think that you could force the world to believe in such _foolish_ concepts as democracy and electing their own ruler? They _need_ our guidance, Ozma.”

Oscar’s face looked at him, a confused and yet angry expression on his face.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Jaune. I saw in you a good young man, someone who would fight for the right thing. It is not too late to shun your family.”

_‘Just like it was too late for General Ironwood to search for Cinder, huh?’_

Jaune’s shoulders squared. He sighed deeply, looking at the face of the young teenage host to an ancient wizard.

“My own family _died_ when Cinder killed the mother of my child, Ozma. Ironwood did _nothing_ and the mother of my child died for that inaction. Family is the only thing that I’ve got left… So I better make sure that I love the girl that I love much more so we’ll all be a happy family.”

He took a deep breath, floating down from the entrance to the Vault of the Relic of creation, touching down onto the steps, his eyes glowing with the power, looking at his great-grandmother.

“Gran-Gran may be considered evil in your book, but in mine, she’s still the woman who read me fairytales before bedtime when she came to visit. She’s the woman who challenged me in chess and who said that I’d be a great man someday. If bowing my head to her and asking for her protection is what will keep the people I love safe, that’s a small price to pay.”

It would be something gran-gran would consider, at the very least. If she said no… well, he’d deal with that when she said no.

“A queen rules over the people, Ozma. One cannot hold power over those who are dead.”

Gran-gran was a little dramatic sometimes, but the woman was sensible. You did not become a beloved figure if your power was weak, you had the strength and the benevolence to slowly lessen the burden upon the common folk.

A flash of magic and Oscar rose into the air, the glow in his eyes fierce, a green flicker in the air enough to stall things, as the battle seemed to kick off in earnest between the two immortals.

“Mister Branwen? Can you just surrender?”

Saphron looked ready to fight, her face set with that stern expression that always made her look spookier than before, the man’s eyes going to Summer and a deep sigh came from his mouth, glancing at Oscar and Salem, before he nodded.

“I don’t _know_ anymore. All I want is just… All I want to do is to live, have a good life and make sure that people I care for are safe.”

It was something that Jaune could understand, at least on the level of the man’s thoughts. Sometimes, a second chance might be what is needed, as he sighed.

“I know. I want something similar to that. I want to live to old age, to be with my family, no matter how weird they are… and I hope you don’t mind mom too much. Aunt Salome died, but… but it’s going to be okay if you apologize. Mom is a lot of things and- well, she’s okay.”

_‘Knowing mom, she’ll either have a fit or she’ll hug him and start talking about how happy she is that he saw sense.’_

It was a side-effect of the power within his sisters, as well as his mother. Sanity and power did not always go well together. Dad bore it with a grin, saying that whilst it was occasionally an annoyance, he’d still love his wife.

“Let’s just leave, shall we? I don’t think it’ll be a good option for us to see how Ozma and gran-gran fight this out.”

There were bolts of coloured light flying, Gran-gran already looking like she wanted to get rid of the stresses of the day.

As the lift accelerated upwards, he looked down at the Vault where the flashes of green and red continued to blaze, the feeling of the coldness inside him changing. Ozma and Salem would be brawling it out until the former died, he guessed…

_‘Time to lie to the people.’_

* * *

Weiss Schnee wasn’t intimidated by the other members of Jaune’s family at all. She was just… _hesitant_ to speak up. The news looked grim, several reporters crowding at Atlas Academy, where the military was housed as well, a crowd of people standing there, the sisters and the mother and father looking sharply at the television.

“Three lien on Jaune being the one to deliver the terms of surrender.”

It was an oppressive atmosphere, Weiss could tell from the way that her mother tensed and Winter looked as tense as she had been. She really wanted to go to the bathroom, it’d been a while since they’d all been sat down, her thighs rubbing together.

“E-excuse me, Mister Von Arcadia?”

The man’s attention went to her and she could feel the oppressive feeling of chains wrapping around her neck and dragging her down before the man’s eyes, the expression hardly shifting before her eyes as the man’s face softened a little.

“C-can I get up?”

The smile on the man’s face and the chains slipping away, a sigh of relief from her, a curtsy made to her mother as it was polite.

“I will be right back, I require the... the lavatory.”

Sabrina Von Arcadia smirked, wiggling her eyebrows at her in a way that didn’t go and make Weiss feel much more at ease. She felt the urge, the full bladder weighing her down and hastily booked her retreat from the dining room, the oppressive feeling fading after a moment.

She made her way to the bathroom and sat down, realizing after a moment that the feeling of being freed from that shackle was euphoric, the weight of her mind’s burden lifted and the whole world seemingly lightening up once more with that high feeling of freedom.

_‘It must be a little like Emerald at Haven, a psychological Semblance that affects the mind, the man couldn’t have so easily taken control of us without that.’_

The fact that his daughters were apparently hitmen and assassins might have factored in a little as well, but it wasn’t a feeling of-

“Annnd found you. _Hi.”_

Weiss was happy that she was at the toilet, because she’d have wet herself the moment that the door opened and Selena Arc appeared, her pale features entirely too much like Salem’s to make her feel entirely safe.

The door was pushed open fully and the woman entered, entirely shameless. Weiss was sure that she’d locked the door behind her, the woman’s smile broader and more sharklike than she’d ever seen Jaune’s. A shudder went through her as the woman looked her over.

“You had sex with Jaune. Soooo… how was my little angel bear fluff? You were _reeking_ of it. Soooo… just between us girls? How did my little angel-stuffing-muffin do? Did he act rough like mama always does to her little Leo-Leo? Ooh, I bet you enjoyed it, you’re turning red.”

She might be turning red from more than one reason, the woman’s smile good enough to win over most people with the youthful exuberance and happiness within it. The woman was a mix of contrasts and conflicts, but she undoubtedly cared for her.

“He was… He was the first man I slept with and we did… did some interesting things.”

Selena Von Arcadia, the mother of Jaune Arc, probably not the best example of sanity there was, smiled brightly.

“Ooh, to be soaked in scent like that, it must’ve been very interesting. He’s… he smells a bit like his father. Whenever he would masturbate to the magazines that we’ve gotten him it was like… ahhh, my good little boy. He’s the only one who can make babies, you know? The others, we’re… well, it is a miracle that I could get this many. Salome was always the better one… She was the one who actually made mama the happiest. She was strong, but she died. I had to be better, but she was so happy that I got babies. Oh, she was so happy indeed!”

Weiss tried to close her legs, the woman’s hands spreading them with a look, her eyes suddenly not quite looking so friendly.

“But no, there’s no glow. He didn’t come inside, sadly. No babies for you. Not _yet.”_

The woman’s red eyes looked insane. They looked crazy, rabid and manic, as Weiss tried to push her legs together, the woman snapping back to attention.

“Oh, when you see it, mama will be so happy. We’re all working to make the world a better place. Well-paid for, of course, but a better place! She’s going to be a queen, a queen of the world and we’ll all be pretty princesses and- oh, I suppose Leonhard will be as well. Now, now… you’re dating the blonde girl, right?”

Weiss nodded. She tried to push her legs back together, trying to somewhat shield herself from the woman’s probing fingers, her eyes looking at the woman, who seemed to snap to attention, her look sharp and almost manic.

“Good. He’ll need a good friend. You will be safer than safe if you get pregnant by him. Think about it for a bit… and if your girlfriend wants a baby too, that can be arranged. Your mother is a _dear,_ you know… Oh, I should let you do your business. We expect at least three babies from little Winter… It’s going to be so exciting! So exciting and new and whee!”

The woman was gone like a hurricane and Weiss closed her legs, unsure of what had just happened, washing her hands quietly, trying not to hurry too much but keep her attention on the shadows around her. The woman was dangerous, she supposed.

She entered the dining room once more to find that there had been a fresh glass of drink put at her seat, Selena smiling at her with a look that just made her feel dirty.

“Ooh! It’s Jaune! Quick! A bit louder. He’s survived, and Saphron too!”

It was Leonhard, proud voice boisterous as he spoke, his eyes watching the television.

“Mister Arc! Has the General had any words with you about your loss to Robyn Hill?”

Jaune’s expression was sober and Saphron stood next to him, Weiss could tell that the woman was excited. Her clothing was stained red with blood, the smile as brilliant as could be.

“General Ironwood has been given a Huntsman’s Mercy after he attempted to ensure my death after arresting me for treason to Atlas. My… My sister Saphron was arrested as well for suspected collusion, though she has not done a thing wrong in her life.”

A small cough from her made Jaune on-screen take a moment, Saphron handing something to him, a recorder that looked like one of those Dust-powered devices.

“You’re all going to die. The moment the explosives go off, there’ll be no more Jaune Arc to bother the world. Did you really think I didn’t prepare for this eventuality? Atlas will be the greatest Kingdom in the world!”

James Ironwood’s voice, not as rational as it had been, echoed from the speakers. A low whistle came from Leonhard, as Selena grinned and did a little fist-pump.

“She got that from her mama! Always record the people you’re around so you can use it for blackmail!’

There was a unanimous grin on the faces of her daughters, Weiss noticing that her mother sighed quietly, rubbing her temples.

“General Ironwood thought he knew what was best for Atlas. I proved him wrong in a challenge for the right to be able to call myself a leader of the people. For all my time in Atlas, these few months, I have been greeted with warmth and open arms by the people of Mantle and Atlas. I have been a man who tried to shepherd the children to school, who made the world feel a little safer for those mothers who just wished to see their children be safe at their school.”

Jaune took a deep breath, and Saphron pushed herself to the fore. Weiss could see an expression of excitement on her face, the blood that covered her clothing giving it a particularly grim look.

“It’s mommy on TV, Adrian! I love you, Terra! I’ll be home soon, I hope!”

Saphron waved at the camera that was recording her, the parents giving a grimace.

“Mother will be angry… She never accepted such predilections…”

Rosa coughed quietly.

“And she’ll accept the second phase? Does Jaune even _know_ about it? I mean… Saph is a good killer, but she’s… _y’know?”_

Selena Von Arcadia smiled broadly at her daughter, who looked a little nervous as that smile continued to grow.

“Everything in due time, my dear. He’s a delicate little cute fluff-wuff-butt. He’ll have to accept it, as we all had to.”

_‘I’m not sure he wants to know.’_

She could already see his face twisted in confusion as his mother explained to him about that whole second phase thing.

“Saph… Yes, let’s all have a good return home.”

When he smiled, things weren’t so bad anymore. The warm smile of a man who loved his family, who had fought for that family to be intact, who had killed for Winter to be free and who had put a baby in her mother and saved her from father…

_‘Oh…’_

Jaune’s face looked manly. It looked manly and she felt jealousy rise as Winter smiled quietly. Jaune’s eyes seemed to hold an aura of power within them, as he took a deep breath.

“Democracy has failed. How long has it been since General Ironwood became the General who held both the Huntsman seat and the power to marshal the forces of Atlas? How long has it been since the Council has needed to elect another leader to fill those spots? Atlas has not been a democracy for years.”

His voice was resonant, as the people seemed to stop their questioning, the look in his eyes hurt, broken and a little bit twisted by what he had undoubtedly seen. Saphron laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to smile.

“Atlas is now without a leader. I’m… I am the great-grandson of Guinevere Von Arcadia, High General of Mantle. I am hereby initiating the Inheritance clause as detailed in the constitution of Mantle, now Atlas, and accepting the power of the greatest Kingdom of Remnant. Ours is the right. Ours is the power.”

He paused, as the questions seemed to be left on everyone’s lips. Leonhard Von Arcadia gave a small smile, folding his hands as Jaune’s mother made excited noises, his sisters preening a little with pride. It wasn’t a bad speech, Weiss guessed, and Jaune’s eyes flared with power.

“Mantle will _not_ bow before a _usurper_ whose only thought is about the Kingdom that floats up high whilst those below suffered. Atlas and Mantle are united, and henceforth, by the power vested in me as one of the heirs to Guinevere Von Arcadia, I offer to you, the people of Atlas and Mantle, a King and a Royal Family. I am but nineteen, well, nearly twenty, so I will not claim to be wise, but I have seven older sisters, all of them wonderful and loving. I am not a man who claims to know everything, but I have done my best. Whatever the future brings, we will face it all together. I may not be a King that you would want, but... But I'd like to show you that my family will rule justly.”

Jaune paused, as he took a deep breath, licking his lips slowly.

“And… and I’ve got dinner to look forward to, with my girlfriend, Winter Schnee. Rest assured, people… The long night is over. Atlas and Mantle will stand united once more, and we will not _bend_ or _break_! Take... Take faith in that I will ensure that there will be promotion based on merit and skill, rather than flagrant nepotism and despotism. For the people who supported me during the election... Thank you. For those who remained unconvinced... I will attempt to make sure that we rule justly. Let's make Mantle great again, now that we've been given a fresh start. And now, I'd like to get some dinner with my sister and my family, and three of the most beautiful women in Atlas. Mrs Schnee, I'm sorry for taking too long, I hope the food's still fine to eat.”

Weiss watched the expressions of the people at the table. Winter was smiling sadly, mother looked like she might cry, Selena Von Arcadia was hugging her husband and whispering about how much she wanted to commit horrible acts of sexual deviancy on him, his sisters looked proud… and someone cleared their throat.

“So, can we finally get started on the food? I’m hungry. He said he was hungry and I'm about to eat one of the twins.”

Her mother smiled and signalled Klein. Weiss could do with something to eat, indeed. The glass at her side had been drained now.

It would be a party to celebrate, in the close future.

* * *

**The final chapter comes soon. With the hot weather coming, I wish it was winter. I feel less horrible when it's cold outside. Hot weather just makes my health worse. Infections SUCK.**

"Ozma, I presume?" 

The face of the ancient being did not shift, as the farmboy emerged from his capsule, looking a little owlishly. 

"Ehh... yes?" 

Gran-gran wasn't moving, staring at him, moving swiftly past him and looking at him. 

"Y-you... W-who are you? Do I know you?"

The illusion peeled away, a delicate-looking pale hand tapping against the leech-infested Oscar's forehead.

"Ara, Ara, Ozma-kun..." 

Oscar received the smothering in Salem tiddies and the author's amusement for having to write something like this, but it was just too amusing to leave out. 

**The next chapter is the last one for It's a Party. You get to see the whole family together, some plot points are welded shut, a few things clarified... and well, that's it. 2nd Cyanide Fic that's complete. Now, I hope I can get more than 3 hours of sleep. Insomnia sucks when it's pain-fueled. As some people may notice: Salem's inner circle is based around the concept of 'fairytale characters who fell to darkness'. Summer as 'Red Riding Hood', makes sense.**

**Leave a comment if you'd like to!**


	28. It's a victory party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale.
> 
> In the end, the story was finished, and a lot of people were unhappy about that, just like with increased taxes. Yet the Cyanide continued to write, and there will be yet another tale spun in the Cyanide-verse.

**The final party chapter.** **Only took me 8 months to write this, guys!**

* * *

The trip back was spent in silence, Jaune watching his grandmother’s delicate womanly features as she seemed to compose herself before meeting the other members of his family. He was going to have to explain things to Ruby, Yang and the others, he was going to have to make some sense out of this complicated situation of the overthrow of a Kingdom.

“You are not wrong, Jaune. This world needs a leader, a king and divine sovereign, and you have proven yourself worthy of at least a Kingdom with your actions. Do they really _need_ a general demanding their obedience, when a sovereign could do just as well?”

Grandmother was as always, busy with other things than just his worries, the pale hair of the woman undisturbed. Summer sat at his side, quiet as the grave, gran-gran’s words quiet in the silence of the room, even with the difficult expression on his face, the feeling that he had missed enough of the world.

“I can’t help but feel that things are supposed to go differently, with… With different results. It feels like I should be pining for Weiss, hoping to do fun things with her, and then being disappointed.”

His grandmother’s face didn’t stop to question the words that he spoke, her crimson-eyed gaze peering at him, a smile tugging on the corners of her lips. She was warmth and joy, coldness and dread and that final whisper that never stopped to curl through the minds of those she had bested in combat.

It was a cold mind that guided the woman, but she was his grandmother anyways. He didn’t quite know what to think of that, nor did he know what the problem was with this strange feeling of ennui, as if he had gone wrong with some action and had messed the whole world up.

He loved his family.

His sisters were the best, they were great even if they frustrated the hell out of him sometimes, his father and mother were loving, understanding and kind. Not to their _enemies_ , but to the family, they were.

“Perhaps it is the thought of having done something that many could only have hoped for? Is it that feeling of being responsible for the people below your castle’s walls, the people who needed their savior to be there for them in their time of need?”

Gran-gran spoke as if she knew that feeling, but that wasn’t quite it. He had expected things to be harder, perhaps? Was it the feeling of loss that shot through him at the feeling that he’d had when Ren and Nora had been ‘killed’ or the knowledge that Casey had been pregnant with his child?

He was the one who had orchestrated the fall of a Kingdom from within. He had no right to be the man that made the Kingdom rise to greatness, because he did not feel like it was a worthy goal anymore. The power of the Winter Maiden burned inside him with a frozen flame, inhaling slowly with unhesitant breaths, his expression in the reflection of the vehicle’s glass window thoughtful, if not worried, the glint in his eyes dark, much like his mother and his sisters. His father was spared, because of him not being related to gran-gran, but they all were eccentric. The madness was a curse, or so it was said, and he had evaded it by being born without magic.

He exited the vehicle once it had arrived at the Schnee mansion, holding out the door for grandmother, the woman rising elegantly, as Summer stood upright, her eye lit up with that exuberance that her daughter also possessed. Qrow landed, turning back into human form, with a heavy expression on his face. He and Summer had talked briefly before they had gotten into the car, the older woman grimacing a little as he tried to talk to her, Gran-gran making a motion with her hand, a cordial smile on her lips.

“Introduce me to your partner, Jaune.”

He would, if Winter wanted to formalize things. She’d be loved by him, regardless of what she said. It had all been for the right causes, he knew.

The door opened and he saw Klein Sieben stand there, decked out in his formal outfit.

“The Lady of the house bids you greetings.”

Summer made a small sound that was like a half-laugh, her silver eye shimmering, the smile on her lips. Gran-gran strode up with her arm ringed through his, an accompaniment to a lady of fine standing. They ascended the stairs, Summer and Qrow bringing up the rear, the sins that he had committed weighing on him.

He thought of Casey, reaped from this world by the cruel hand of Cinder Fall, whose life had held value, whose dreams and hopes had been for him to have a child with her, the deception only found out on the day of her death by him. She had been with child, bearing his first child…

_‘Am I right?’_

The anger had faded to a mere cool chill, as the power continued to burn, his grandmother’s hands shifting a little on him as the butler preceded them. He had lied to the world, he had spoken untruths and falsehoods, all to guard the power from those who would wish to hurt those that he loved, and now he was slated to become a king, a prince, a husband and perhaps a father.

_‘I’m afraid…’_

Was it truly worth it? Would it be worth it, going against the ideals of a hero, one who would save everyone, including the princess from her tower?

“Grandmother… Welcome.”

Ruby screamed loudly as his mother’s voice was drowned out, his sisters wincing at the high pitch that Ruby had, Ruby’s finger pointing at Salem, her mouth half-opened.

“Now, my child… There is no need for such excitement.”

The maternal act from his grandmother was something that she could do perfectly, aware of the weaknesses of people as she was. It was one of the lies that was taught to every child of his household.

‘Everyone has a weakness.’

His own weakness was that he cared, but he was working on that. He felt less connected to the world as the guilt crashed down on him, pushing his mood low. Winter’s eyes looked to plead with him, her hair beautiful as it always was, a shadow of the woman who had obeyed the General’s orders.

“Welcome to my household, my lady.”

Willow was on-point, her eyes looking into his own for an instant, as Salem, the wicked witch of many stories, gazed at her.

“Are you my grandson’s intended, young lady?”

Willow looked a little taken aback, and her mouth opened, as gran-gran tugged lightly on his arm, pulling him to the woman. A pale hand was laid against the woman’s stomach, her eyes glowing faintly with a crimson gleam, as Willow’s mouth opened.

“A strong child, growing within. Magic always shows itself well, my dear. Now, Jaune? Is she the young woman you wish to wed?”

_‘She was pregnant?!’_

His world seemed to shatter, as he flushed, his sisters looking really excited, as Willow took a step back. He glanced at Winter, whose face was calm and collected, Weiss holding Yang’s hand for comfort. There was unease, a hint of some sort of tension under the surface.

“No, gran-gran. This is… this is the lady of the house.”

A small smile on the face of Weiss that dissipated as if it had never been, her gaze slipping to him, her tongue sliding over her lips, trying to keep herself from smiling at the nickname. It wasn’t done, but they were with family.

“Mom?!”

Yang noticed Summer, who hung back in order to give his grandmother time to meet with the woman who had been his intended… who was…

This was complicated. This was very complicated, if Willow was pregnant, then he’d have to take the responsibility for the child, even if he married her sister.

“Just a moment, Yang. The boss is speaking, I’m just going to have to wait my turn.”

Gran-gran’s head turned and a small smile from her made Summer grin, as Qrow shrugged his shoulders. Saphron sat herself down at the table already, dispensing with the formalities that had come with it, grabbing the utensils and digging in.

Using magic took out a lot of you apparently, but he didn’t feel like that was an issue. He felt fine.

“I am… my name is Winter Anastasia Schnee, born from the house of Romanov.”

Gran-gran’s smile was as warm as the sun in summer, showing kindness within her that made him feel even worse. Had it been really necessary to have killed so many people for a simple dream? Was it worth the suffering that he had experienced? Nora and Ren looked with trust in their eyes, Nora nearly bouncing with excitement, her fingers tapping together in nervous energy, her fingernails painted a bright pink colour.

“And a queen is installed for my little Jaune… Oh, my dear, you should _not_ fear. We take good care of our family. My granddaughter is a perfect lady, and your… sister?”

A questioning glance at Willow, who nodded.

“She is my younger sister, yes.”

The answer was polite and quiet, and Jaune felt how gran-gran seemed to parse the information.

“Good, you will birth the first prince. I can feel him inside you, already manifesting the first spark of his magic. Oh, it is such a delight to see a child once more. You will be unharmed, my dears… I swear it, none will dare to harm what is ours.”

Gran-gran could be a bit over-zealous at times, but it made no sense for him to wish for her to leave them alone. It was safer for them to be under guard, just until the baby was born. The Ironwood and Ozpin loyalists were still around, after all.

There was no telling what might have happened to him, as he watched Willow and Winter be guided to their seats by the eldest woman of his family, Salem seating herself without further ado in the seats at the head. A queen and a witch, a princess and the daughter of an industrialist…

“Hey there, Ruby. It’s me, mommy.”

Summer smiled, Ruby squeaking something barely comprehensible, aware of her mother’s presence, the rose petals forming a spread over the ground as Summer was rocked by her daughter’s leaping embrace, Jaune watching his mother rise from her seat, the smile on her lips girlish and excited, his father giving him a wink and a thumbs up.

“My cute Jauney-wauney-super-baby-boy-whee!”

His mother bowled him over without any great effort, his back hitting the ground as she kissed him, her flood of words not quite making sense, mentions of how proud she was of him for being a stone-cold killer and finally being able to get something done for the family mingling with the cute sounds that no adult woman should be making, a mention of how happy a baby would be with such a cute mommy interspersed.

“Selena, let the boy get up, Liebchen.”

The woman’s head turned to her husband, his father standing there with that proud look on his face that he’d always wanted to see directed at him. Not that it was bad in any way, but there was more to the warmth that flowed through him, the sense of something being wrong fading with the proud look in the man’s eyes, the smile on his father’s face definitely something that he’d yearned for during his youth.

He had always been the guy who had to be protected, who had to be watching how his sisters had to be the best murderers in the world together with his mother and father, whilst he could just ‘take it easy’ because they bled for the world’s peace.

“He’s so cute, he’s so cute, Leon. He’s so cute I want to gobble him up and eat him and-“

His father’s smile was a little forced as the man pulled his wife off his son, Jaune getting up slowly.

“No cannibalizing our son, Selena. You know that Star didn’t like the time you mistook her for a snack…”

Star made a sound of discontent.

“It’s okay dad! The teeth marks went away. Gran-gran said that it’s just something that’ll fade, after all, she’s much stronger than all of us.”

He sat himself down in the seat that he’d vacated before, aware that there were reunions going on. At least grandmother seemed to be ready to speak with Winter and Willow about the future. Weiss peered at him through her lashes, her eyes worried, as Ruby was excitedly squeaking at her mother.

“It’s so great to see you back, mom.”

Yang sounded happy, at least. He knew that it would be a better time for Ruby and Yang now that their mother was back with them once more, eccentricities aside.

You could always depend on family, after all.

* * *

Weiss Schnee had a dilemma. Yang looked like she wished to add her own two Lien to the conversation that was being had, a few extra chairs pulled up for Qrow and Summer, the latter sitting next to Ruby with a bright smile on her lips, her eyes shining with the faint silver glow that never quite faded when she was excited.

The matriarch of the family was _Salem_.

Her granddaughter Selena was the sole member of the family who had survived, after Qrow had spurned her advances, the daughters and sole son to the family being the apple of the ancient witch’s eyes.

It was strange that Weiss could empathize with them all. You loved family, even if your father was a piece of refuse from the gutters. She could not bring it in her heart to fully cast off those shackles that had bound her. Jacques Schnee had been her father, but he had been loved by her for a short time as well. He had hurt the whole family, but she had once upon a time loved him.

_‘It’s not going to be a troublesome thing in the future. Mother is pregnant by Jaune, Winter is in a relationship with him and the Kingdom will be under the governance of the family, just as Jaune declared it. It would be stability in a time of chaos, and that is what the people would want.’_

They were the ‘evil’ side, Weiss realized, yet she could see the love, besides the weirdness. They were a large family, with the mother and father seated together, Jaune looking famished as he dug in eagerly, hungry for the right reason, his white suit stained with brownish bloodstains, her eyes catching his expression of melancholy, as Yang’s voice came to her notice.

“So, mom, what’s it like being a member of the Salem Squad? Any fun perks?”

A giggle from Summer Rose’s lips, the single eye looking like Ruby’s did when she was happy. It was a good thing that there was still something like Ruby under the bitter, jaded façade, the woman’s cheeks forming a smile that was quite appealing.

“Hot boy? I mean, Jaune _did_ get himself accepted into the upper ranks with the assassination of Atlas’ upper leadership… I’ve got to say that he’s not quite unappealing. Quite a cutie, so if you want a cute boy, you’ve got my blessing. Taiyang was sweet, but he’s with Raven again, I guess… I haven’t been keeping an eye on your mother, even though I should.”

Ruby was excitedly talking between Yang and Summer’s conversation, her uncle Qrow looking like he wanted to go and join in the conversation, trying to find something that he could snag on to join it.

Her mother was talking with Salem about something, a glance given to the young man who had accomplished something that was remarkable, a smile on her mother’s lips as she spoke about it. Salem’s hand rubbed over the woman’s stomach, and Weiss could feel that feeling in her own stomach increase, the desire for a child rising within her, something to call the fusion of her and Jaune, a baby to love and to care for, to teach how to be a good Schnee.

She knew that she was at least something of a wildcard, so she scooted over to Winter, leaning over her former-sister-now-aunt’s shoulder, a quiet sound of acknowledgement from her.

“Let’s do some family bonding with Jaune tonight.”

It was the thought that counted, of course. It was the thought that counted and not one of those hideously kinky fantasies. An aunt and a niece treating her aunt’s husband to something that was outlandishly crude and _sensual_ , the people would only be able to think about that tight pussy of hers being plundered by that massive shaft…

_‘Oh, I’ll have to ask Yang. We’re… we’re dating, but she’s got to understand that I want to eh… have my cake and eat it.’_

“Are you sure?”

Winter was concerned… Which was just like her. A stern outer façade with inner warmth, something that always shone through the hard outer sternness that never faded in the line of fire.

“I’ve got to ask Yang, but it’ll be a freebie, undoubtedly. A strong man needs a reward for being a protector for our family, right?”

She would not be amiss for wanting some sort of intimacy, a feeling of being cherished by a man and to cherish the man who had made her heart beat faster. As Yang joined her again, she leaned over to her girlfriend, kissing her cheek.

“Do you mind if I sleep with Jaune tonight?”

A question that would be a faux pas in any situation, Yang’s head shaking softly. It was permission, the smile on her girlfriend’s lips warm as she spoke up.

“I like it when you’re being assertive about what you want, Weiss. At least you don’t run away when you want something, like Blake did. As long as we can talk things out, we’ll be fine.”

There had been no word from Blake yet, and Weiss didn’t think that Blake would very much like the world right now with Salem having made her power play, chaining Atlas to her. As dinner progressed and Jaune’s father got drunk, Weiss watched how the conversation between her mother and Salem had grown more intense, the ancient witch giving a puzzled expression, before she asked something, her mother charmed in that way of hers when her lips formed that smile.

_‘A family dinner, mother smiling at something, Winter looking at ease, a man who could be an uncle to me getting drunk with his wife and a lot of my sisters-in-law at ease.’_

Saphron was digging into the food with gusto, the seventh plate stacked up next to her, whilst Jaune had five plates, Rosa and Nora conspiratorially leaned together, a small conversation carried, as Ren and Aurum were speaking about nutritional tips, the latter having pulled her Scroll out and shown several diagrams of some sort.

She was in her room three hours later, it being nearly twelve, going through the lingerie that she had already been arranging since she had returned to living with her mother and her little brother. A dark blue set of lingerie with little snowflakes on it would suffice for tonight’s engagement with the man who would be her uncle, her…

_‘This is awkward. I don’t know whether he’s my uncle, my daddy or my brother-in-law…’_

She didn’t dwell on it, as Yang looked at her, a lazy smirk on the blonde’s face.

“Going to have fun, Weissey? Good girls don’t wear clothing when they have some sexy time with their uncle, y’know?”

Weiss pouted at Yang, aware that there had been time for that. Mother had decided to retire to her bedroom, the entire Von Arcadia family being housed within the rooms on the other wing, due to the bedrooms in this section being reserved for the Schnee family. It was not an arrangement that they questioned, as Qrow had decided to camp himself out in one of the rooms, Summer taking one of the spare beds to herself, with the lady Salem being given one of the other prime guest suites to her lonesome.

“Yang… I’m going to make him cum over your toothbrush again if you tease.”

A threat, as Yang struck a horrified pose that soon dissolved into giggles. Weiss noticed that Yang’s curves made an interesting wobble happen with her prodigious chest.

“Gee, you might make a girl _blush_ with that line, Weissey. I’m sure that you’re going to enjoy yourself, girlfriend… And I said that I’d not want to do that just yet… But Ruby might need a friend, so I’ll bunk with her tonight, Weiss. She’ll be at the room soon, so you just go and get your Jaune game on, sweetie.”

The door opened to reveal Winter, wearing her dress, her hair as dark as the night, looking like Cinder, yet her fierce blue eyes never seemed to be fading, her eyes looking at her.

“Are you still certain that this is what you want, Weiss?”

An offer for her to back out, rather than do horribly sinful things with her sister… or rather, her aunt. She wasn’t going to back out, pushing her modest chest out, the braided hair giving her a sweet look, if she had to say so herself.

“My girlfriend’s going to blow her uncle like a champ, Ma’am. He’ll be the luckiest man this side of Atlas.”

Winter frowned a little, Yang giving a wink in response to Winter’s frowning face. Weiss could sink through the ground if it were possible, as she flushed at her girlfriend’s crude language.

_‘… Okay, now I’ve got that idea…’_

It was not unappealing. Who cared about that stuff, if it was fun, you did it!

“We’re not married yet.”

Winter said, her cheeks flushing a little, Yang’s smile broadening in that ‘I am going to tease you’ way that made Beacon annoying to live in. Weiss checked her reflection, deciding on a small silken set of pyjamas that she’d outgrown a few years ago. It was just the amount of cleavage that would be perfect whilst not being too _open_ about one’s intentions.

“Oh, but you’ll be having a wedding night tonight, right? Little Weiss is going to be split open by his big sword, and you’re going to be getting your first helping of Arc juice to-“

Winter squeaked in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing, as Weiss sighed, aware that Yang had a disposition towards being as crude as she could be. It would be something marvellous, of course, when she and her aunt worked together.

_‘We’ll make him happier.’_

She pushed open the door to her father’s bedroom, the spiky hair of Jaune visible from behind as he had already stripped himself bare, the muscular back visible, Winter’s smile warm as it was, her eyes motioning to him and a smile on her lips.

Excitement brushed through her, as she pulled the button on her top, letting the garment slide down off her body. Winter had a harder time with the dress, slowly plucking it off, the feeling of freedom for her making it worth it, tiptoeing towards him as he stood there like a sentinel, a guardian and a protector, her hands touching his back, Winter’s soon to join him.

A complicated expression was on his face, his eyes looking at her with a question in them, the underwear that he wore already showing the sizeable bounty that they would claim. He would make her feel like a little tramp, her hands sliding over his back and down, around his well-firmed buttock, rubbing over it.

“A little reward for you, Jaune.”

Winter spoke, and she remained silent, as Winter placed a kiss to his cheek in an effort to make him comfortable, the outline of that big hard Weiss-breaker already forming, as he grunted a masculine grunt, clearing his throat. It was one of those vocalizations that made her smile, her fingers pinching his buttocks.

_‘Come on, be the man who takes two Schnee to bed.’_

Already, his underwear was showing the threatening spear of dick that would plunder her tender Mantlean crust, the tongue that licked over her lips at the thought of that big hard shaft pounding into her, Winter’s voice in her ears.

“We’re here to make you feel better, like a strong man should feel. Your mother said it was okay.”

_‘Technically, she hasn’t, but she doesn’t seem like she was the most concerned about who goes first.’_

Her fingers stroked over the bulge, as Winter’s delicate hands laid on it, the two of them stroking over the outline, with Winter unveiling their ‘prize’ to her eyes. The heavy member bounced a little as Winter tugged his underwear down, Jaune saying something, but Weiss was fascinated by his member, even if it had been within her only a scant few weeks before.

Her mouth opened and then closed, a soft kiss pressed against the head. The smell of a man, of someone who was determined to make love to the two of them, filled her nostrils, as Winter kissed his cockhead as well, his hands on their heads, an instinctive motion, as she kissed together with Winter, Winter’s smooth skin something to be envious of.

“I love you so much, Winter.”

Weiss could settle for that, at least. His eyes were warm and yearning, aware of the feeling that it gave her.

“You go first, Winter.”

She would be the accomplice to their little threesome, the one who would be cleaning the remnants of her aunt’s husband’s seed out of her aunt’s pussy, whilst she was getting filled. It wasn’t fair that there were so many people who thought that to be wrong, a woman had her release, of course!

“But… to the bed?”

Jaune asked, and Weiss pulled away from him by leaning back, the breasts captive in the skimpy bra that she wore, her eyes watching as Winter grew bolder, grabbing his manhood and leading him to the bed, as a woman should guide her man. Weiss let her eyes go to that firm little ass of his, the buttocks just firm enough to bounce a Lien chip off, as Winter laid herself on her back, the lack of lingerie definitely showing itself to be a reality, as her bare pussy laid before him.

“I love you.”

He spoke and Weiss knew that it was true, as Winter guided that fat stave of turgid rough male erection to her sex, the large head pressing against her lips.

“I love you too, Jaune. For you, it is all worth it.”

He pushed forwards, his cock sliding into her depths with a lewd sound, Winter’s shuddering exhale loud in the suddenly very quiet room, as her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms holding on to Jaune, pulling him close and kissing his lips. She seemed to be enraptured by the sight of the man in bed with her, as Weiss shed her bra and underwear, her tongue licking over his neck, kissing his neck, a final Schnee to the little Schneesome.

He started to move, Winter’s moan loud through their lip lock, the brushing of her own tongue against his skin like an encore, as the bed creaked below Winter. Father’s bed had not been much used for this kind of thing, Weiss would hope, so it was still relatively virginal, even though Weiss herself had lost most of her virginity and her innocence.

“Make her pregnant, Jaune.”

She whispered into his ear, aware of how things would change between the two of them after tonight. They would be an official couple, they would be founding another royal dynasty, there would be a _baby_ and her mother carried it.

“Jaune?”

Winter’s pleading tone, and the gasp from Jaune as Weiss did a bold thing and seized his balls, squeezing them slowly, letting the feeling of those full baby-batter-build-up-bastions rest on her hands.

“W-Weiss? That’s sensitive, I’m-“

She squeezed a little, a playful growl from her lips at the feeling of power that she had over him. Winter’s eyes met hers and she winked.

“Make her get pregnant with your babies, as you did to mom. And then… And then, we can switch. I want a baby too, and you're going to give me one.”

Yang did _not_ have a penis, after all. Weiss Schnee might be eating taco for the foreseeable future, attached to a blonde whose mouth was occasionally used for other things than making lame jokes and whispering sweet nothings, but a hot dog once a while wasn’t a bad idea either. It’d fit right between her buns, after all.

“Let’s make a baby, Jaune. I want something to keep with me as a token of your love.”

Jaune broke at that moment, as Weiss let go of his balls, watching as he pushed himself into Winter, Weiss watching how Winter’s mouth opened and a bestial shriek emerged from the lips, the soft sob of ‘By the gods, oh, Jaune!’ that bounced around, as Weiss watched those balls jiggle with every thrust as he pounded into that needy pussy of her former older sister, now an aunt who was getting it on with her soon-to-be uncle.

_‘You’re worth it.’_

It was worth more than a lifetime’s worth of pain to see Winter happy. Her fingernails pressed against his skin as she clutched Jaune like a drowning woman, her body twitching and shivering, the pleasure that shot through her undoubtedly bringing a tide of joy. Long red marks, as she forced him on his back, taking the lead.

“You will come inside me, Jaune Von Arcadia! I want seven kids, and Weiss will have four or five.”

_‘Hey!’_

That just wasn’t fair! She had _needs_!

“Hey!”

Winter’s head turned to her, as Winter’s lower body moved, thrusting down on that big hard pole, a domineering sound, as Weiss saw the pale hand reach out and grab her by the braid, tugging her closer.

“Make yourself useful, Weiss. Make my intended feel happy so he fills me up.”

Her face was between his legs, between where Jaune and Winter were joined, an up-close sight of that big hard rod sliding into Winter, Winter’s hands making the bedding squeak as she raised herself a little, Weiss getting to see the pussy lips clutching at that big hard shaft, Jaune looking at her.

Weiss grabbed his balls in her mouth and sucked, as Winter seemed to approve of the long moan of ‘Weiss, oh gods!’ from Jaune, hissing something, a needy, whispering voice that came from Winter’s mouth as her butt smacked against Weiss her forehead, though Weiss didn’t mind it one bit, her tongue caressing those heavy orbs of male potency, his balls in her mouth wiggling a little by her dexterous tongue, as her nose inhaled the heady scent of female and male arousal.

“Winter, oh, Winter, I’m going to come, fuck, I’m going to come!”

Winter’s butt smacked down on her face and Weiss groaned as she could feel the testes give a minute twitch, Winter’s soft groaning loud in the air as she sagged down on Jaune, the smell of seed in the air, a shudder going through Weiss her lower body, as Winter rolled off him. Jaune’s blue eyes looked up at her, the smile on her lips bold as Winter relaxed a little, a wink.

“Your turn, Weiss.”

Her hand grabbed his manhood, growing flaccid, the seedy remnants glistening on his cock. It was a mighty tool for a small woman, but she was a huntress… She could deal with massive swollen tools. This was just another challenge for her, and she would make it feel all the better.

“I’m going to get pregnant too.”

An announcement, as his eyes widened a little and she hopped up on him, her face close to him, Winter’s throaty chuckle loud as Weiss kissed him, and her pussy felt the slimy head press against it as she guided it to her waiting sex with her hand, her lips pressed against his own in a passionate kiss.

* * *

The sex was great, even at three in the morning. He felt how Winter shifted again, her face flushed. They probably stank of sweat, sex and that bottle of chocolate syrup that Weiss had somehow managed to get after dipping out of the room for a moment.

Another load was coming, Winter’s face close to his, her dark hair hanging in his face, plastered to her skin, her eyes aglow with that desire, as Weiss laid tuckered out next to them, Winter’s body gyrating, as he felt the point of no return being reached, a thick growl coming from his throat that already was getting hoarse, the hard shaft driven into Winter’s sex erupting with another load, Weiss giving giggly sounds as she looked at the two of them.

_‘You grow tired quickly, don’t you?’_

Winter had more stamina than Weiss did, undoubtedly due to the training regimen that she did, or perhaps due to the military supplements that were served to every serving member of the Atlas military.

The door creaked open and he glanced to the door, Ruby peering into the room, a heart-warming smile on her lips. Winter’s head turned, before she smiled and laid herself down comfortably, seemingly okay with another member joining them.

“I’m so happy that I met you, Jaune. If I hadn’t met you, I would be… I wouldn’t be as free as I was. I wouldn’t be able to be in love with you, and to be with you, regardless of who you are.”

Ruby’s red cloak covered most of her body, shadows casting dark red blotches on it, as it usually did when she wore it to bed and he spotted the dark shape of Crescent Rose in her hand, her weapon rarely parted from Ruby, a tendency that he’d adopted as well. His blade was ready to be wielded, regardless of what happened.

“I love you too, Winter. After Casey died, I was lost… You’ve helped me find myself again. Let’s have a family together.”

It was how it should be. A neat little family. Ruby was here to get Weiss, or to join in. He didn’t mind that.

“That’s the man I love…”

Winter’s smile was a warm one, as he felt a sudden stab in his gut. Her mouth opened and blood came out, as the blade of Crescent Rose stuck right into his stomach, impaling through Winter’s upper body.

Numbness flooded him, as he looked into her eyes, the click and then a **_boom_** as he saw a half of Winter's face disappear thanks to the explosive Dust round hitting his fiancé’s head.

_‘No…’_

“It _has_ to be like this, Weiss. You can’t let them live. I’m sorry for killing your mother, but I _had_ to do it. The war will go on, and Salem must know the importance of life and death. He told me after we made love. Jaune’s a bad man. Don’t worry, after the heroine has killed the villain, _all_ will be right in the world again. We are still friends, right?”

Winter’s body laid on top of him, Crescent Rose pulling free from Winter’s body with Ruby's hands tugging on it, as the frozen power of the Winter Maiden’s magic shot out from his hands, Winter’s flesh avoided, his hands rising as twin blasts of frozen sub-arctic temperatures hit Ruby, freezing her instantly. Surprise showed on her features as the life faded from the sudden flash-freeze brought on by magic. There were now two holes in the wall, a rumbling sound that undoubtedly woke everyone in the house.

An ice-statue stood there, as he gave a mournful bellow and she shattered with the magic erupting inside of her, bloody slush hitting the ground, one booted leg remaining, the leather cracked by the frost, as he felt his heart cracking again. He was still joined with Winter’s body at the root, his body stabbed by Crescent Rose, as Weiss reacted, slowly and gingerly pulling Crescent Rose out of Winter.

He laid Winter on the bed oh-so-gently, looking at the ruined features, half of her face pulp because of the Dust round that Ruby had fired. It was horrible, and it _hurt_. It _hurt_ so much now.

His scream held the pain he felt right at the moment, knowing that the world would not be right again. He had loved once, and she had died through the actions of someone working for his grandmother. He had loved once more and she had died because of the actions of someone who had been in league with his grandmother’s ex-husband.

_‘Everything that I did… It was all useless. What is a world without a woman that I can live in it with?’_

He was aware of the door opening up and his grandmother standing there, the look on her face dark and yet understanding, her eyes gazing at the body that laid on the bed, the weapon that had been in Weiss her hands and the body of Ruby Rose, her eyes looking sorrowfully at him.

“I’m sorry, Jaune.”

She wasn’t really sorry. It was all a party to her, as she lived forever. She could understand his pain, as he got up. He looked at Weiss, whose eyes looked tearful and horrified, her face a deathly pale shade, a few fragments of red and white on her face, a fractured smile appeared on his face, the reflection of his face in one of the mirrors in the room showing that abominable smile that was more akin to a rictus grimace, his eyes dark and pained with the loss that he'd felt.

“We’ve got to plan a funeral.”

He would be there.

He owed it to them.

* * *

The bodies were burned, as was the custom. He could not feel anything anymore, his sisters and his parents, with Weiss and Whitley being the ones who represented the Schnee family. Weiss had been spared from Ozma’s revenge, a hope that had turned into bitterness. He had heard that Blake had left Atlas, running away once more. Weiss hadn’t spoken a word since that night, a medic saying that it was the shock of the events that had caused her to go mute.

Yang stood with Summer, the woman’s singular eye dark and clouded. Ruby’s remnants had been incinerated, as much as it could be. The flash-freezing technique of the power of magic had made him feel the power that was inherent within the magic, and the madness that threatened his mind now, with that rush of power.

 _‘It isn’t fair._ ’

Ren and Nora laid their hands on his shoulder, whilst he stood there in front of the incinerators, the mother and her sister to be interred within the Schnee plot.

He stood there silently for hours before the small markers that had been, the others gathered around him, until it was time for him to say goodbye. Willow Schnee and Winter Schnee laid to rest now, with a small grave for Ruby Rose somewhere, Summer had not told anyone where she had gone to lay her daughter’s remains to rest, Yang accompanying her stepmother, returning with red eyes.

_‘This is what a villain deserves. Death. Love is never a factor, because it is just something that will make others die quicker.’_

Gran-gran had not come, her existence still a secret, but she was waiting for them, as her plans continued along unimpeded.

“Hey, I want to be alone for a while… I’ve got to think.”

Life did not have value anymore, and he knew it to be true. The world was now a pale shadow, as he walked through the streets of Atlas, spotted by the people but never approached fully. The people of Atlas and Mantle knew what had transpired, played off as an assassination attempt by Ironwood loyalists, Ruby made into a martyr for her actions.

He was a King now, raised to the office to ensure that his mother and father were free to go. A King without a Queen, a Kingdom without an heir from his loins.

The edge of Atlas stood before him, the dazzling depth before the bottom of Mantle, as he stared over the smokestacks and chimneys of the city below. A city that he had sworn to protect and had failed.

_‘Why continue, when the world is without a plan?’_

He leapt off the plateau, the power inside him burning, as he felt the air rush around him,

* * *

**ENDING A:**

* * *

his eyes gazed at the ground that was ever approaching. He hit the ground with enough force to blackout immediately, his death coming like a blessing, leaving the mortal coil and being set free from a world that had not been a party at all.

“Hello again, Jaune.”

Pyrrha stood there, surrounded by four others. Casey and little Pyrrha were next to her, little Pyrrha looking adoringly at his partner, Winter with dark hair and a small smile, as Willow nodded quietly. He took Pyrrha’s hand, walking with her towards the light, the smile on the faces of the women who had loved him in his lifetime and had passed because of him making him feel at home.

It was a party, when he was with those whose love had stirred his heart.  
  


* * *

**ENDING B:**

* * *

He felt the water hit him, an unsmiling Faunus waiter standing over him, the uneasy feeling inside him, as he shook himself awake.   
  
"Sir, the party is over. Do you require help to get out of the premises, or will you be able to walk yourself?"  
  
He had entirely too much to drink. Those dreams... Gods, Weiss would never be able to be so kinky, and who the hell would want him as a politician? His mother and father CERTAINLY weren't assassins... But Nora did ask whether they could sleep together one time. Perhaps it would be time to take her up on that offer... But first, he needed to get back to the cars and to the academy. Jacques Schnee had won this bout.

He saw Willow standing there, disinterested and without sparing him a glance, and he smiled regardless of the circumstances, as he nodded his head a little. 

"Thank you for this party, Mrs Schnee. You have a pair of wonderful children." 

Surprise on her features, and a small smile on those lips, the bottle at her hand raised in a toast. He didn't remark on it. 

"Thank you, Mister..."  
  
A smile touched his lips.   
  
"Arc, Jaune Arc, at your service. Have a good night, and... And if you want me to drag Winter and Weiss to you for a dinner out or something, I'll see what I can do. Family should stay together, after all."  
  
Sadness in the woman's eyes, as she nodded quietly. 

"A pleasant night to you, Mister Arc. It was a pleasure to have you, even if you seem to have had a little bit too much."  
  
He hoped that everything would go alright. He should at least ask whether Blake and Yang did something bad. They could help, he just knew it. 

* * *

**ENDING C:**

* * *

his head turning to Atlas on high, the sight of the shattered parts of the underside of the floating city, where Gran-gran had fought against Ozma, where the Staff of Creation was being kept.

He arrested his fall, his body suspended in the air, floating thanks to the frozen power within him, just like his mother and gran-gran could. He flew towards the hole and then came to the floating platform, suspended by the might of the Staff of Creation.

If a Relic could answer any question…

_‘Could it?’_

The portal opened, showing the devastated wasteland, unmarred by anything. The glowing staff floated in the air, untouched, and he walked to the staff, the corona of power around it not phasing him, his hand reaching out to touch it. He could feel the weight of the otherworldly metal in his hands, as the gem that topped it seemed to glow with an unworldly light.

Ultimate power laid within him, and he knew that he would need to be able to use it. If it could create something like a floating city, if it could lift something like that, he could use it to change things. Creation was the forging of something new, and from the old, would come the new. It required the creation of something new.

“I want to live with them again, even if the world doesn’t want me to! I’m the son of Selena and Leonhard Von Arcadia, a brother to seven beautiful sisters! If I could get a chance to do it all over again, I would keep them safe.”

The staff glowed, as the power flooded him, and he felt the magic inside him swell, as he amped up the power inside the staff, hoping that his wish would be coming true. He did not care about what happened to Atlas, to Mantle, to the world at large. His girlfriend was dead, the mother of his child was dead. Casey was dead, and there were just so many people that were _dead_!

A bright light enveloped him as he felt how something new was created. Images flickered before his mind as he felt the world going into reverse, creating something that became the world’s truth, as his Semblance burned, the magic seeping into the Relic, his hand losing grip on the Relic as he did, and he found himself elsewhere.

“I have packaged your breastplate and will have it delivered to Atlas Academy first thing in the morning, Mister Arc.”

The words were familiar, even as Willow Schnee’s face looked at him. He looked around in wonderment. Willow was speaking to him, Winter and Weiss were standing together, General Ironwood was alive and Nora was looking at him, a soft ‘Uhh’ coming from his lips, as he looked at the woman.

“I think the best words to use are ‘thank you, Miss Schnee.’. It’s not every day a woman like me gets flattered by such a stunned expression from a young man like you. Rest assured, your equipment and Scroll will be safely delivered.”

_‘I’ve gone back. I can… I can do things again, I can make it better.’_

He could see them again, and he smiled at her with the genuine warmth that he felt.

“Thank you, Willow. I-“

He noticed the frowns on her ‘daughter’s’ face, Winter looking a little frustrated with his casualness, Weiss frowning adorably, and he sighed.

This would require some time to get used to things again.

“Mrs Schnee. I’m- I’m sorry, I was just a bit- you helped me to find the bathroom, and I really needed to go and-“

Weiss huffed, smiling despite herself whilst Winter looked like she was suppressing a smile, the boyish charm that he’d always had according to his sisters working once more.

“Oh, it is no great matter, Mister Arc. I was glad to show you a bathroom, a host has to be gracious, at least for the time being…”

He could help the woman. Jaune nodded, smiling more genuinely than before. They did not remember the events of these past weeks, but that didn’t matter. It didn’t matter at all, as the frozen power within his chest continued to beat. The power had come with him back in this newly created timeline, as he smiled sweetly, aware of just how Willow would react if he told her that he was from the future.

“Well, I certainly appreciated it, but I’ll hand you back to your daughter.”

It had been a natural slip, but neither Winter nor Weiss had noticed it, handing the Scroll back to Weiss. He glanced at Nora, now more aware of her expressive eyes peering straight at him. He motioned for her and Ren, and they obeyed.

“Let’s go and hit the training rooms, okay?”

He didn’t have his armour, but he knew that it wouldn’t need much more than just a few targets and a bit of distraction. As Nora and Ren followed whilst he led the way, his mind strayed to the topics that would need to be addressed.

_‘I won’t let you die again, Winter… Even if you don’t remember it, I loved you once.’_

Cinder Fall had to die, and he knew more about the world as it was now than he’d ever wanted to.

“Hand me your Scroll, for just a moment, please?”

Nora did without even questioning the order, and he tapped a short message to Rosa’s number.

**‘Rosa, we need to meet up. Ditch Cinder and come to Atlas Academy, short stack. We’re making pancakes. ‘Big Brother’ wants to see you. Room three seven five.’**

Nora wouldn’t know what hit her, meeting with Rosa as she would, but it was one assassin, rather than seven who all had loved him as a brother. Nora wouldn’t understand properly until after the introductions had been done, as he handed her back the Scroll, before they went to the training rooms and they spent an hour sparring, the showers quickly visited, before they saw someone standing in front of the door. The challenger on Cinder’s team from the Vytal Festival, her hair bound up in a single ponytail, Rosa’s eyes looking coolly at him.

“Your hair _sucks_ , Jaune. You look like you kissed a lawnmower.”

He cracked a smile. Willow and Winter and Casey had died once, and his children had died within their bodies, but he knew that he could trust family. The others would know.

“Shut it, shorty. Let’s get into the room and we’ll talk. Ren? Do you think you could make some pancakes with Nora? My sister is visiting.”

Nora’s eyes went wide with excitement and Jaune smiled, knowing that _this_ time, it would be a different party. Ren smiled in that way that only Ren could, aware of how it looked.

He was no hero, but he was not going to be a villain to the world at large. With Cinder Fall gone and Winter freed from the curse of the Winter Maiden…

_‘Let’s do this.’_

* * *

Thirty minutes later, General Ironwood strode down the hallway to the Winter Maiden’s room accompanied by Winter Schnee, the general checking the observation room for a brief instant, spotting nobody amiss. The late hour made things easier for a visit to the Winter Maiden, the door pushed open by Winter as the General entered the room of the Winter Maiden.

“Ah, General Ironwood. Have you had news yet?”

The old woman’s smile was genial as the general turned to shut the door, Winter walking to the woman, laying a hand on the old woman’s monitoring devices, not speaking a single word, the general nodding, as the old woman’s monitoring devices were shut down. A beep came from them, and Winter looked at the general, who stepped forward. A hand shot forward and the illusion shattered, Cinder Fall’s cruel face staring down at the woman, as a black arm was shoved straight through the chest of the woman, Winter Schnee disappearing into nothingness, as a woman stood in her place.

One of the Happy Huntresses, a former member of the Atlas Military. It was best to cut out all of the problems at the root at once, the girl’s Semblance of invisibility remembered from their brief encounter in the bar, ‘Cinder Fall’ smiling cruelly as the woman on the bed flatlined due to the lethal arm that'd punched straight through the chest.

Jaune had coated his arm in magic, allowing for an easier way to cleave through the woman’s ribcage, a thing that he could do to tear straight through an opponent’s Aura, as the body laid there, alerts starting to go off. The power flooded him, mingling with the remnant that had been there, the attracting force of the magic that he'd stolen reunifying with the magic that had been within the old woman's body.

Cinder Fall gave a cocky smirk to the camera whilst he opened the door, the illusion fading away immediately as it shattered into shards of glass.

Atlas would be in an uproar…

But Winter would be _safe_.

Cinder would get the blame. Robyn would be blamed equally, but that's what you got for colluding with traitors to humanity.

They walked into the dorm again after he’d washed his arm with the aid of a little magic, the circular washing technique something of an improvisation, the water dumped in one of the toilets and flushed properly, leaving the remnants of his crime alone.

His sister’s arm wrapped around him as the door opened, the illusion sliding into place again, Flynt Koal and Neon Katt entering, Rosa’s head laying against his side as she reached for the condom dispenser for some reason.

“Ooh, you’ve got _lucky_ , buddy.”

He was lucky, probably, as he got a pack of condoms, thanking Rosa for the quick thinking. It wouldn’t be something he’d have a use for right now, but it never was a wrong thing to have.

“Yeah, she’s… she’s a bit of a handful.”

Rosa moved her hands apart, smiling broadly.

“He’s big.”

He was back at the dorm again with Rosa after a bit of friendly ribbing from Flynt, noticing that Nora had already made a sizeable dent in the stack of pancakes.

“Hey guys, I’d like you to meet a girl who is very special to me…”

Rosa smiled sweetly.

“I’m the mother of his babies. I’ll be pole-dancing with him tonight.”

_‘Oh no…’_

He groaned as Nora started to squeal excitedly, and Oscar gave him a curious look. Rosa could be such a kidder at times, saying the worst thing at the worst time…

_‘At least Weiss, Winter and Willow are safe… We can do something about Councilman Schnee later. We’ve got an assassin here, and Cinder will take all the blame for the Winter Maiden being assassinated…’_

It was all a party now… No matter the lies that he had to forge and keep up…

This entire new chance that he had created was all a party.

_‘It’s a party…’_

* * *

**And that draws to a close this story. Or maybe, it doesn't?**

**Did you really think that I'd leave a confusing ending like this, where nothing goes as planned?**

**Nah. There's one more chapter, but this was a selection of the 'possible endings' that it could have had. If this was Rooster Teeth, it might've been done like this, with some massive ass-pull at the end like Neo barely suffering any damage, but hey... You get to see the Final Party.**

**Just because Victory is sure, that doesn't mean that it is the finale.**


	29. It's the (real) final party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> YOU THOUGHT IT WAS THE END, BUT IT WAS ME, CYANIDE!
> 
> I solemnly swear that you can ignore the Ruby massacre ending. This picks up from after Winter, Weiss and Jaune had their threesome and Winter is on top of him.

**Congratulations, you get the real ending after the credits. It wouldn't be a Cyanide Fic without someone suffering high blood pressure. Did you really think I'd just go for a downer ending with Ruby being all 'FOR FREEDOM!'? She's not getting ice-picked in the back of the head. Enjoy!**

* * *

Jaune watched Ruby enter the room as Winter kissed him, the weary body already bruised and battered by her enthusiastic love-making, scratches melting away with a pulse of his Aura, yet the stickiness never, Ruby's cloak covering her body, her eyes looking away as Winter shifted on his chest, showing the bare breasts to the younger girl. Winter her blue eyes were lazy and sedate with that rush of pleasure still running through her, as Ruby looked at him with pleading eyes before she spoke up.

“He told me to kill you and... and anyone you might’ve spread the... the junk to. The baby. He told me to _kill_ , and... And I don’t _want_ to.”

Winter stiffened, as Weiss got up in alarm, clearly ready to fight. Crescent Rose’s edge glistened in the fractured moonlight, as Ruby raised it, the blade clear of any sort of damage, or blood.

“I don’t _want_ to _fight_. Mom’s here, Yang’s in a relationship with you, Weiss... So I’ll... Can I sleep with you three tonight?”

Weiss patted her section of the bed, Ruby’s silver eyes looking quietly at him, her face clearly showing that hint of something sweet, a friendliness that had been absent for the past few weeks, his crimes against the world having weighed on him. You lost things during war, and this had been a war. It had been a war against decency, against an authoritarian democracy in name only, something that would only cause the rot of the people, if he could believe gran-gran.

It was the feeling of something in his heart, as Winter kissed him, her utterance of ‘I love you’ in her ear, and the blood within his chest seemed to freeze, the naked woman shifting a little, her dark hair like a pool of shadows in the night, Weiss kissing Ruby on the lips, the silver-eyed girl starting to shiver and shudder, the tears coming with a flood of emotions, her eyes leaking already, as hiccups and whimpers came from her, soft whispers of ‘I never wanted to kill anyone, Weiss’ and Winter looking up.

“You didn’t kill anyone, Weiss wouldn’t let you. She’s got a hand on you, Ruby. We’re here, we’re alive, and I’m going to have his baby. You can be godmother if you’d like... For Weiss, though.”

The weight of her words seemed to jolt the girl out of her terror, as Weiss peered at Winter, who smiled encouragingly at Ruby. Crescent Rose still sat in the corner where Ruby had laid it, Weiss kissing her cheek.

“I’d love for you to be my baby’s godmother, Ruby. And... And you said that you liked Jaune as well, right?”

A whisper from Ruby, as a light nod came from her, a faint hint of something in the air, a whisper of something like the darkness in his soul, Weiss making a sound, as she guided Ruby to him.

“Touch him, Ruby. Show him how loving you can be. Ozma led us wrong, and we are able to make this place into a beautiful Kingdom once again.”

Winter slid off, her legs parting to let her pussy show to Ruby, whose small hand grabbed his cock. She was delicate, and the touch seemed to startle her. A small whisper in the air as she looked right at him, her silver eyes peering into his own, a smile on her lips that was hesitant.

“You can kiss, if you want? He’s my husband, but... But it’s not wrong to let him make out with one of his friends.”

Winter was wise, he supposed, as Ruby’s small hand grabbed his cock, squeezing and twisting it, the slickness of the pussy-juice coated shaft making her give a curious expression to her small hand, her fingers twitching, the head pushed against her palm, as she experimented a little.

“J-Jaune?”

A question in the air, a whisper that was too loud to be a mere whisper of a girl who had bought the lies of Ozma, spoken to him. A while that didn’t seem to be much more than a half-second for her, as she leaned forward and the tears dripped down onto his chest, as she nuzzled against his chest. His hand patted her awkwardly, as kisses came down on his abdomen, her hand tugging his manhood, as his hand patted her head.

“I still love you, Ruby.”

Not like Winter and Weiss, but it was something that would be a tremor in the world, a whimper of need from her cutting him off as her hand let go of his slick member and she crawled on top of him. Her cloak fell over his legs, the leggings torn in the crotch, his erection growing harder with the touch that she gave, as she pierced herself on his cock, a loud ‘ahh!’ coming from her lips, the weight of the woman on top of him now different, as Winter stared with amusement, her tongue licking over her lips, as she got up, leaning against Ruby, her lips kissing Ruby’s cheek.

“We’re going to keep you as the royal pet, Ruby.”

It wasn’t sure whether he’d be the king yet, but he hoped that the people would accept him either way, as his eyes watched Ruby’s go wide, as Winter started to aid him, Weiss appearing at Winter’s side, a kiss shared between the two of them, licking over the lips of the one that had once been thought to belong to a sister. He grew harder.

“He’s getting bigger. Oh, my Gods, he’s growing bigger and he’s already huge!”

Weiss broke the lip-lock-lewd-kiss, turning to him and seizing Ruby’s shoulders, Winter smiling amusedly.

“Drink his ‘milk’, Ruby.”

A whisper from Weiss was enough, as he thrust up into her. Ruby made a sound like a dying cat, as her stomach distended a little from his cock, Weiss having been a little less bulgy on that front, as Ruby’s fingers clawed at his chest.

“Oh Jaune, no, Jaune, ah, please, no, ah...”

She’d always said that she drank milk, a statement that was bold and fierce, wanting to undoubtedly grow a set of funbags like her sister, as his hands grabbed her waist, driving himself up into her, a soft exhale that came from the depths of his mouth, a whisper that lingered, as her body twitched and writhed with that eagerness, Ruby’s eyes rolling back as she made an ‘ah-ehh-ahh-ahweeh!’ sound, her juices gushing over his groin, as he drove upwards into her, the big hard shaft that bulged her stomach a little with its massive girth pumping into her.

“Imagine how good it feels to ride that cock, Ruby. It’s my boyfriend, hopefully, soon to be husband’s cock... So you better make sure that it is kept in prime condition.”

Ruby was half-passed out, his hands adjusting her, as the slurp-slap-smack-slurp came from his groin, Ruby’s weight something that was hardly a thing. Ruby had to be a virgin, or at least, he thought she was. Weiss kissed Ruby’s lips, a quiet ‘Weiss’ coming from Ruby, as her fingers grabbed his nipples and tugged, pain flickering, as Ruby seemed to twitch and quiver, her eyes glinting with the silver light, which blasted him in the face like a flashbang. He groaned at the pain that he felt from the flash, the magic within him shuddering, as if it had met an anathema to its existence.

He came, grunting, Ruby squeaking a little through the kiss with Weiss, her juices mixing with his seed, his eyes blazing with the power of his love for them all. He wanted to have a family. Winter was his girlfriend, his wife-to-be, her sister was the mother of his first child and her daughter Weiss...

_‘No matter what happens, you will be taken care of.’_

He wasn’t going to let the world slip into a state of anarchy without him being at the wheels, as he knew that the war wasn’t fought until the last bastion of humanity had fallen, until the last Kingdom had been conquered and gran-gran rested upon the throne of the world.

His family would want him, as Ruby was pulled off his cock and Winter’s lips slid around the head and then went right down, her nostrils pushing against his pubes, to become a King, to be a leader of this world whilst the others continued their trade, rooting out dissenters and those traitors who colluded with Ozma.

_‘You made the right choice, Ruby.’_

It was a fearful thought, knowing that there would be something more to be done in the world with one of Ozma’s agents running wild, and Blake still had to be tracked down, before she could do something worse than just lead around a band of huntresses, but that was for later.

Winter hopped onto his cock once more and kissed him, before they made love, a squeezing, squealing sound from her lips louder than he’d anticipated, the womanly moans mixing, as Weiss started to lick Ruby’s snatch, cleaning it out, Ruby gasping, her hands on Weiss’s braided scalp, moaning something about wanting more but feeling too full of his man-milk.

“I love you.”

She said, and he responded in kind, his eyes glinting with that hint of something that didn’t really make sense, that never would make sense to him as the love in those eyes overpowered the feeling of wrongness inside him. He had felt wrong, but now it felt right.

He would never be a hero, he would never be a villain, he would just be Jaune Von Arcadia, a man who was lucky enough to become the husband to one of the wonderful ladies of the Schnee household, whoever would be the one to choose him. Weiss was with Yang, Winter was with him and Willow would have a choice, he supposed, if gran-gran didn’t grease the wheels.

Unmarried women with a child you sired are to be married, he remembered her saying once, and it was not something that seemed to be forgotten so easily. Gran-gran was traditional with the family values, and he knew that Ruby might be ‘encouraged’ to become a member of the family as well.

“I love you so much, Winter.”

She smiled, pushing a lock of her dark hair behind her ear, the faint smirk on those red lips of hers that had been perfectly groomed to look appealing and sensual, the blues of her eyes holding a challenge, a little hint of something.

“I think this is time for me to marry a younger man, don’t you think?”

He didn’t think that he’d be an older woman enthusiast, but he knew that he was one. It was the faint hope within his heart that didn’t even cease as Winter smiled and he kissed her, a tender brush over his cheek with her delicate hand.

“Indeed you do, husband-to-be. Otherwise, I’ll demand child support.”

He sighed exasperatedly. There was nothing like that in the constitution, and that would need to be revitalized as well. One had to get rid of superfluous laws.

“Daddy, I need more dick. Fuck your little niece until she’s pregnant.”

He stared at Weiss, whose bold smile was encouraging him, as Winter turned her gaze to Weiss, raising an elegant eyebrow.

“You pass out after two orgasms, Weiss. Let an experienced woman deal with this. I’ve got _stamina_.”

Ruby moaned quietly.

“Oh gods, don’t break me, daddy. I don’t want to drink more of your milk. Daddy, make love to me and Weiss and we’ll be good girls of team Ruwee. Yang will tease me again, no doubt. I drink milk, daddy. Big boobies for the Roobie! Yaaaay!”

It was laughter that rose, as Ruby looked out of it, the four of them cuddling on the bed, with Winter spread out on top of him and Ruby and Weiss on either side of him.

It was a good night.

* * *

Jaune watched the section for the special guests, Willow, Whitley, Winter and Weiss standing in the crowd’s special VIP section as the coronation ceremony was happening, Leonhard Von Arcadia standing beside his wife, as Jaune strode forward to the throne that sat there, dressed in a military-cut white suit.

Like James Ironwood could have looked, Jaune wore the uniform with pride, the Crown of Mantle brought to him by the highest functionary of the government in the interim period, the woman a veteran of the Faunus Revolution, striding forward with a stately manner.

“I now crown you, King Jaune Amadeus Von Arcadia, to be the rightful King of the Kingdom of Atlas, steward of the cities of Mantle and Atlas and the governor of the world’s greatest Kingdom. May your reign last long, as we have learned the folly of listening to false demagogues, and may the Kingdom last forevermore!”

The weight of the crown on his head, as his gran-gran stood there amongst the members of the family, the ancient image of the General of Mantle, Guinevere Von Arcadia, imperial in nature and condoning in attitude, her smile to him proud and without a hint of regret. It was a party for her, and it was more than that, more than just a party, a queen that held no equal in this mortal world.

“I am not a man who makes great speeches, let me say that.”

The words were already written, but he ignored them, knowing that a speech from the heart would be the best, to show the people that their King was one of theirs. Casey would have wanted it, the women and children who he had guarded on their trip to the school standing within the VIP section. It was a special day for them too.

“I am not intending to become a King who measures the worth of an individual through one’s pedigree. We are all of Mantle, and we do not break asunder, lest our beauty be tarnished by the thoughts of power that was not granted by the hopes of the people. I am Jaune Von Arcadia, son of Leonhard and Selena. I am the man who will accept the burden of this crown, and I promise you... Atlas will be great again, and we will _not_ be divided any longer! Atlas City will be lowered into the pit that it was raised from, and we will have unity within the cities. The gifts of Atlas will be spread to Mantle, as Mantle’s bounty will be given to Atlas. We are _united_!”

A speech it wasn’t, as he got up from his throne, the cameras all pointing to him, his eyes glowing faintly with that power that made him feel like he was on top of the world, starting to float a little for effect.

“And I shall have a worthy queen for you to respect! Where I am not the most skilled or disciplined, she will support me! Where she falters with her steps, I will be there to pick her up and show the world a beauty of the royal house of Atlas, or even the whole world if it must be!”

Powerful words, emerging from his mouth, the weight that seemed to burst like a drum, a rushing, clenching sound that came with the pain of his own loss of the people who had been sacrificed to the throne’s final step, as he beckoned for Winter to come, her hair dark, her eyes blue, her smile brilliant.

“Winter Anastasia Schnee, daughter of Nicholas Schnee and the lady Romanov, brought here before you all to be your queen to be. In her, I place my trust, my fealty and my crown’s inheritance, as-“

He coughed, aware that he was talking for too long, his throat had gone dry with the lack of speech-capable words that followed, as someone provided him with a drink, Rosa smirking saucily.

She’d woken him up with a smile and nothing much, balancing on her, her fingers dainty and wrapped around his manhood before she flipped over and he was faced with an ass on his face, wiggling and rubbing. Then, her mouth slipped around his cock and he heard the faint sound of a banjo sonata somewhere in the distance.

He wanted to scrub the memory from his mind now, as he remembered a velvety tongue, a warm mouth and her butt wiggling, as she gave him some of the best head that he’d had. Not to dismiss Winter’s skills, but this was something that just seemed to milk him, squeezing and gripping and clenching, gurgling quietly and making his body shudder.

He had come down his sister’s throat, she’d pulled off his groin and then he’d been given the option to eat her out or fuck her.

He had done the former because it was still his _sister_. She’d given great head, and she’d come on his tongue, but he was not going to be sleeping with his sister, even if Winter was watching. Rosa had handed Winter a small note with a little wink, and left the bowler hat in the bedroom for some reason. She wore a dress now.

“as I am now your ruler and I require her to be my queen and support. Von Arcadia and Romanov, united now like Atlas and Mantle shall be once more!”

A hopeful, merciful ending for this grand party, Willow’s smile proud and warm. She would be going into seclusion, gran-gran delaying the war campaign for a year, to ensure the birth of her great-great-grandchild, to see the inheritor to the family.

There were cheers as he stood there like a proud king, a ruler who had been wrought through blood and grit and stern mania and obsession. He knew that he was not aligned with the right side, that he had done _everything_ in order to make the world better, to ensure that many would be alive.

He had tried his best, and it had won him the love of a woman, a crown and a happy family.  
  
That night, Rosa had him tied to the bed, and there was a very amused Star just watching as they did horridly scandalous incestual stuff, but he could claim oppression in the morning when Winter found Star half-slumped over the bed, with Rosa half-passed out, still gyrating her hips on his groin. 

That had been an awkward morning, as he'd sat on the throne and felt crotch-friction-burns. His dad shared the helpful tip of cream, so it was at least some relief.

* * *

“Willow, it’s going to be fine.”

His hand felt like it was being crushed, as Willow’s face scrunched up and she hissed something in Mantlean, a curse that didn’t feel so great with his cock shoved right in his ass for giving her this torment, before the sigh of relief, as the doctor announced that the baby was out.

Salem stood in the delivery room, a heavily pregnant Winter and Weiss standing there at the side. He was a lucky man, he guessed, with how it was already the case, Yang smiling brightly at him. The jacket that had belonged to Blake once upon a time had become a permanent accessory to Yang, ever since Blake had escaped again.

Mistral and Menagerie had declared war, through no real reason other than ‘they were evil’, the ancestral hatred once more welling up. Vale had not been in a position to send forces, but people were massing already, according to gran-gran’s surveillance. Ozma had reincarnated, and he had been rallying the people.

It would be war again. This time, they would be the winners. The military had not been touched, the people believed in their royal house, and there was a royal prince now.

“What will you name him?”

A name came to his mind, as he smiled at the babe, the shock of yellow hair with white tips to the fringe on its head enough to show that it was a combination of Von Arcadia and Schnee.

“Wolfgang Amadeus, because he will be like a wolf, and beloved by god. He’ll be the eldest prince.”

His son was quietly watching him, a spark of magic flickering in the air, gran-gran taking him in her arms and smiling, her fingers brushing over its little scalp.

“Welcome to my family, little Wolfgang.”

Gran-gran was happy, he knew. Winter’s smile was warm as she looked at the baby, a wince coming from her as the baby kicked.

“I think... I think the baby is coming.”

This wasn’t good.

The next day, early in the morning, his first daughter was born. Pyrrha Leonora Von Arcadia held beautiful pale blonde hair, bright blue eyes and the first hallmarks of being just as beautiful as her mother, inheriting most of her features from her.

Winter was happy, he was happy and Weiss was still pregnant, pouting a little that she didn’t get to deliver her baby together with her mother and Winter in succession. In a fairytale world, it would all be like that, but as this was not a fairytale, it was not to be. Three weeks later, Weiss bore him another daughter, the hair as white as snow, the features definitely more influenced by him, Weiss smiling proudly at him, the small wedding band around her finger matching Yang’s own inelegant golden one.

“Sooo... Do I have to do anything for my baby? Play the guitar? Go on a ride around Atlas with you? Skinny dipping?”

Weiss and Winter gave an ill-amused look to Yang as she smiled at him, the medical staff doing their job with the babe, as Jaune walked to the royal nursery, the palace now inhabited by his family and the staff that had come with it. Atlas and Mantle had been rejoined, with the mining industry starting up once more, the Relic within its Vault remaining there it was, as gran-gran had said that it was fine if it remained there after sealing the lock up herself. Without gran-gran or him present, there would be no opening of that lock, no matter who appeared there.

That night, Yang got her ride on the Arcmobile. She came back for seconds a day later, after her Semblance had lit the curtains of the bed on fire. Weiss, once properly recovered, dragged her wife back to the bedroom and there were sounds of the sapphic variety made according to Winter, who had gone to inquire about the dinner arrangements for the celebration banquet of yet another royal heir.

* * *

It had been years since he had looked at the Staff of Creation, locked within the vault. He was sixty-four now, the Empire under Gran-Gran founded. His family had been spread across the globe, the Kingdom of Mantle once more great, as technology had advanced, his son’s rule now beginning as he had abdicated. Winter stood next to him, the grand Vault still standing in front of him, as he looked at the staff as it floated within the space, the chill growing greater from the rift that he had forced into existence.

Ozma emerged from the shadows once every ten years or so, acolytes of his foolish decision to resist falling by droves. The Von Arcadia family had dominated the world, the work that had been put into this empire still not done, as Winter looked at the Staff.

He touched it, the metal heavy to the touch, the great power that he’d felt once before when he’d lowered Atlas into the ground once more, the rush of power pushing through him at the beck of his mind, his eyes looking at the blue gem that topped the staff.

It was the power of the Gods of Remnant, cruel gods that had not loved the people as Salem had, as gran-gran had spoken it. The fear of the power that Empress Salem held was enough to keep the people in control, as he knew that the dynasty that he’d founded with Winter’s aid was enough to make him smile. Willow had died the year before, and Weiss was no longer able to have children.

“Are you sure, Jaune?”

He nodded quietly, as his fingers touched hers and he took the staff off her hands.

“The great work is complete. Humanity is unified, as the Gods had wanted... We can let her rest, and we can let her sleep the eternal sleep. All things must die.”

It was a realisation that he’d come by only late in life, as Winter’s fingers held on to the lamp and the sword, whilst he jerked the Staff free. They would have to go to Vale for the Crown of Choice, already being retrieved. It was time to die, to be judged and to have gran-gran pass away, for Jaune knew that the woman had achieved her dreams... or so he hoped.

Gran-Gran wouldn’t like it, but it was the best option. He felt pity for the woman, who had gone into seclusion after his mother had died, his father not long since, the Empress of Remnant not seen in public much.

The White Fang Liberation Front, headed by Blake Belladonna, a survivor of the Menagerian Blitz, occasionally popped up, showing the world what animals really acted like. She had soured to him and his dominion after the might of Mantle had been brought to bear against the coalition army. Huntsmen were nothing against an army that could fight with robots and battleships.

Ruby had given him a son, Armand, a man now in his forties, easily able to make him laugh with some of the dorky remarks that he made, being best friends with Torvald, the son that Nora and Ren had ‘encouraged’ him to adopt. The carrot-orange hair and the sharp blue eyes clearly made it certain that he was Nora’s son, yet as to who the father was, it was still unclear. Nora just winked and said ‘Woops, I guess we’ll never know’, though Ren had privately confided once that he was pretty sure that it was Jaune. Jaune loved the little bastard anyways, even if the jet-powered hammer-shotgun was something of a bother in the sparring ring. 

* * *

The Relics were gathered together, the puzzle opened up, Nora’s aging features showing a dash of grey, the Relic of Choice hanging in front of them, the opening of the Vault only done on certain days of the year, with a puzzle completed. It was a choice to take up the crown or to ensure that it remained, and he knew that he had to do the former.

Ren, Nora, Ruby and Winter, Weiss and Yang stood gathered around the Vault entrance, their aged features definitely having seen better times, but it was now time for their final judgement. The decision had been made by him, in order to let his gran-gran taste the final relief of death, by pleading with the Gods.

Staff handed to Ren, whilst he reached out with his hand, whilst Winter held the Relic of Destruction and Nora the lamp of knowledge, he allowed his fingers to touch the metal of the crown, the weight of the power within pressing him down, as the Relics started to glow.

Ethereal sounds came, and the world was suddenly changed, the ruins of the former Beacon Academy side blasted, as two Gods arrived upon Remnant once more, Jaune’s hand touching strands of light, as the Relics dissipated into nothingness, a genie appearing in the air and nodding once, as he watched the two deities.

“Good evening, Gods.”

Dragons, they were. He watched calmly as his heart beat faster, the two gods looking at him as he had addressed them, the God of Light turning into a horned humanoid, standing there like a silent sentinel.

**“You have unified the Relics, human. Is the world at peace?”**

The brother of light spoke, as the brother of Darkness turned to a dark shape of formless energy, standing at his brother’s side, Jaune looking at the two brothers.

“One can never be at peace with the Grimm being present, yet there is unity within the human race, Brother Gods. Ozma’s task has been completed, as the majority of humanity seeks only for the peace that the Empire has provided them.”

The brother of Light gazed at him, before a quiet nod of the head happened and Jaune watched how the dark brother looked at him, speaking up.

**“Yet Salem still walks in ignorance of the importance of life and death, human. She has not learned, and she will be punished to wander the world forevermore.”**

That was wrong, and he knew that he should speak up. Others might cower before the gods, but gran-gran had not cowered, nor had she saved her words.

“I ask- no, I beseech you, gods of our world, to lift the curse on her to finally allow her to die. The importance of life and the importance of death is something that one should learn, and she has earned her rest. Even if the lesson did not register well, I remember her as a great grandmother, who loved me and my sisters, regardless of our antics.”

The two Gods remained silent, as Jaune turned to the dark brother.

“You were lonely once, I have heard from the spirit of the lamp’s words, and you can understand that, God of Darkness. Her loneliness was banished by the fact that she had a family around her during the lonely years... So please, can you let her rest? I am her great-grandson, and I know that it might be a folly... But I have completed Ozma’s task, and I beseech you...”

The God of Darkness looked at his brother, expressionless face seeming to have an expression of hesitation, the emotional appeal to him making the deity seemingly conflicted by the words that he had used.

**“Brother... it is not unthinkable to grant a boon to the one who has achieved so much. Technically, he has completed our quest.”**

The word ‘quest’ was something that Jaune hadn’t heard in this context before, as the Brother of Light stared at him, Jaune’s eyes meeting the calm silver eyes of the man. It was a quiet solitude that they found themselves in.

**“As we will live with them once more, we will grant this boon to the one who has completed our quest, Brother. Salem shall rest in the afterlife, as her wandering of the world has been a punishment upon its own.”**

Relief flooded him, as tears came from his eyes, sinking to his knees and crying for a good long moment, the two gods staring at him, as his friends and his family joined him.

**“We will head to our domains, mortals. Humanity has earned its second chance. Brother?”**

The God of Light turned into motes of light before he dissipated, the brother of Darkness looking at Jaune for a long moment.

**“You hold the gift of magic within you, stolen from the one my brother chose. Here, have magic of your own, so that you may spread it. My gifts will be with humanity once more, once we are back. Remember... All things must die.”**

The coldness in his heart was replaced with a warmth as the god departed, just as his brother had. The Grimm had not dissipated with the appearance of the two gods, already coming towards the place where they had summoned the gods, Nora’s Magnhild V2.9 already whirring into action. Ren smiled at him, as Winter’s hands held her weapons in a casual pose, her hair still as white as it always had been.

“You did it, Jaune.”

It was all a party, after all... as long as you were with the people you loved.

“Of course. I’m the man you love, after all. That damn sexy bastard that made you get pregnant several times, Winter.”

She hit his shoulder, laughing as she did, as the Grimm surged towards them.

“I love you, you stupid little blonde. Now... Let’s have a party with these Grimm.”

Glyphs blazed into existence below her, as her swords were pulled from her loops, as they charged at the Grimm.

“It’s all a party, my dear. The one who kills the most Grimm has the right to boss the other around!”

Ruby cheered a little bit too loudly for his liking, as she burst into petals, speeding up immensely.

He hadn’t meant HER when he’d said that he’d be bossed around. Ruby got _kinky_ if she was given powers.

He’d better fight harder.

**THE END  
FIN  
**

* * *

**It’s been quite a ride, I’d say. Around 300.000+ words, give or take a few, and this is the second fic I’ve actually finished. Much accomplishment. Much people screaming about political stuff and the last chapter. Yay. I’ve made an impression on all of you with this story, and I hope that people have** _**enjoyed** _ **it. Thanks to writing It’s a Party, I’ve had people who reached out through the comments section and said ‘Good Job, Cyanide’ and some who made commentaries about the political system that I had to work with, as well as the unfeasibility of some of the actions of our protagonists in the story.**

**The backstory for Mantle and Atlas is developed through the logical cultural differences between the various Kingdoms. I started out thinking ‘what would be a good idea for a culture’ and I eventually ended up with a Germanic/Russian culture, featuring several events in the past that led to a conclusion of… well, this. Cinder being a Romanov would give her a reason for wanting power, even if she was in bed with bad people. Winter being a Romanov would… well, it would at least give some credence to the issue of her having black eyebrows whilst Weiss and Willow both have white hair, as well as her ‘maternal grandfather’ in canon. Jacques seemed to have very little influence within his children. If Winter dyes her hair, it would make sense that her eyebrows were dark.**

**If you take from the Romanov reference that Cinder was a member of the Romanov dynasty, and that Winter as Anastasia was a princess in exile(as the popular myth goes), you should ask yourself who Rasputin is in the context of the story? Who is the man who survived a whole lot of things, only to die through drowning? It’s an analogy to the Communist Party’s rise in the stages of Soviet Russia. Jaune, a man who led a country through a revolt against the authority that governed it, to free it from its oppressive shackles, but in the reverse, turning a council-democracy into a monarchy once more, for love.**

**The issue people seem to take with Jaune’s backstory seems to be that it’s too fantastical, that it isn’t something that is feasible… But how much DO we know about him? He went on trips with his parents to Shion, and his sisters undoubtedly were there. Terra and Saphron live in a pretty damn great and fancy house. It’s definitely not something a radar technician should be able to afford on her salary, with a single child and a spouse that does not seem to do work.**

**Eight children, in today’s money, cost about a million to raise, if we take the average costs of 120.000 over the course of 18 years, tuition and schooling included with that. They have to be at least rich enough to be able to feed their children, or have some kind of other traits that we don’t know about to provide for that many children and still have only one of their daughters being able to migrate away to Argus to be with her wife.**

**We don’t see any pictures of her family as adults whilst Saphron is in the picture, NOR do we see a picture of her parents. The biggest issue one could make is ‘Why does Saphron not have a simple picture of her mother and father around, but only a picture of her brother and herself as children? Why is there no wedding picture, since she is married to Terra in the canon?’ and well… This solves that. Saphron being an ex-hired killer would allow her to retire comfortably off the money she made, with her family being rich due to being related to Salem.**

**Then we have their mental instability. A wise person who mentored some young lad with a spider theme once said ‘With great power comes great responsibility’ and this is a bit of a twist on it. Since Salem is not the picture of mental health, not able to deal with her grief about her dead husband in a normal way, when she was cloned, the first clone died quickly. Selena and Salome were somewhat perfect, but Salome suffered from crippling depression and an obsession with a man, just as Salem did, in this universe at least.**

**Why Selena’s children are all deviants is simply explained: Salem’s magic has a corruptive effect. The more magic you have, the less stable you are mentally. Saphron has the most of it, but she’s erratic at times with her mood in a high-stress situation, and she deals with her high libido by eh… doing the lady-shuffle with her wife.**

**I’ll have you know there is no Hapsburg dynasty, though I was tempted to throw in a reference to that in the Von Arcadia dialogue.**

**Neo being Jaune’s youngest sister? Well, how much do we really know about her? Is this her real appearance, or is this just a façade that had been created to fool the world? Have we ever seen Neo be knocked unconscious to have the illusion break?**

**Ironwood, whilst a perfectly capable leader with a military mindset, is a General first, and a Huntsman second. I’ve tried to characterize him as well-meaning but paranoid in at least a general sense, to ensure that the main characters remain in accordance with the plan. The moment he’s outwitted, you get a V7 finale moment.**

**He’s fallible, and it shows. He made Jaune into the enemy that he could see, that he could send his armies at, rather than strike at the enemy that was unseen, which is how I characterized how his drive for control and for military solutions over trust, is made.**

**Not a lot of people will agree with my views in my fics, and I’ve had a friend of mine say that they regularly have a lot of stress when they read Party because ‘all the characters in it are evil and totally not in accordance with canon’, but I’m trying to tell a story that I hope people will like, that they will appreciate and go ‘This was a good fic, and it was exciting.’ Or if that isn’t the case, I’ll see it in the comments.**

**Now, about the ending… I gave three endings in the previous chapter, that can be counted as the ‘Ending’. In one, he chooses death after losing hope, and at the second, it's all a dream, in the third he stakes all of his hopes on a desperate gamble. Nobody in the third ending actually knows what he did, who he is, and those that he loved know nothing, do not feel the same things for him…**

**But he is determined to put things right in that ending. In the first, he died as a villain and in the second, he's just had a great drunken dream, whilst in the third he’s inching his way towards some form of redemption, though the road is not visited yet.**

**Would he get together with Casey, have his happy family? Will he try again with the girl that he loved, as Winter will need to be conquered again? Would he be interested in making Willow an honest woman and forsaking it all? Would he go and enter a relationship with Weiss, if it came to it? Who knows? I’ve got a few notes on the different paths to take, as I always do, and those three endings were the first few that popped into my mind, so I was like ‘fuck it, let the people get trolled once, this entire fic is about people lying... so yeah, let them eat cake’.**

**One of the best parts of writing this story is just how I got to use my knowledge of history to make the story be something of an interesting read, even if you’re not up to speed on the Russian Revolution. My passion for history and for legends is something that I like to show in my writing, because a good story can be written, even if people call it ‘wish fulfilment’. It’s still a story that I’ve written and a whole lot of people seemed to have enjoyed, or at least I _hope_ that people have enjoyed it. **

**A thank you goes to the people who have commissioned me and funded my ability to write good smut for longer with the painkillers that I buy to keep somewhat able to sleep. Without your kind donation for the smut I write for you, I couldn’t have kept on writing this story, guys and girls and what-ever you identify as.**

**A thank you also goes to the people who have stuck with the story for as long as they have, despite the slow update schedule and the horrible amount of dilly-dallying that occasionally happens. Thank you for supporting me.**

**As a small addendum:** [**cyanidesinscommissions@gmail.com** ](mailto:cyanidesinscommissions@gmail.com) **is the email address where you can commission me to write you smut.**

**Thank you for reading It’s a Party. I hope you will continue to enjoy my other works in the future.**

**Cyanide Sins**


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